Sensitive Darkness
by K. Fang-sama
Summary: After visiting an oracle in a different world, Aizen has made it clear that Ulquiorra's services are finished, and that he must die. Barely getting out alive, he meets Akuma, and 8 others that offer him a new life. It wasn't meant to be easy. Ulquixoc.
1. The Oracle

"Sensitive Darkness:  
>Chapter One;<br>The Oracle"

**- Hueco Mundo**

It was only a few weeks after Grimmjow's assault on the human world, and not much had really happened except him losing his arm, and being replaced by Luppi. The blue-head had planned on on getting his rank back, one way or another, however, he knew in his current state, he had better plan carefully before taking his chances with the new Sexta.

It was after this few weeks that yet another meeting of the Espada was called forth. All ten were present, of course, all ready and attentive except for the four disturbed from their activities; Szayel, Yami, Nnoitora, and Stark, to be precise. The primera was woken up from his nap; which he despised with a passion; Yami was killing off weaklings to vent out new issues that didn't seem to get any lighter, Szayel was working on a very interesting test that he'd have to restart, and Nnoitora was being kept away from the girls in his room he was happily 'punishing.'

However, all the same, they were present at the meeting, unbeknown to them as to why, for it was rather short notice. All of them were pulled away from what they were doing on short notice, which was rather uncommon for Aizen to do, but still, the man came in with Tousen and Gin, and sat before his Espada, ready to begin the meeting.

"Hello, everyone!" He started, casually. "Before we begin, I will tell you in advanced that this meeting won't take long, but it is mandatory." He informed them. This caused mostly all present to smirk, happily as to know they would be there for an hour, at most. "As you all know, our enemies are preparing themselves; I'm sure that all of you are taking measures as to prepare yourself as to do anything, and everything to make sure that they will not get the upper hand." He began, confidently. "However, that is not the matter, at hand." He stated.

Now they were indeed curious; even Yami and Stark raised their heads from the boredom that came so naturally from the meetings. They were all staring with interest as to why this was all necessary. "Within the next twenty-four hours, I will be leaving Hueco Mundo as to address certain matters; these matters that you will all hear about after I return." He explained. "However, also within the next twenty-four hours, you ten will be put up to a mission; one for each of you. I have no doubt that you'll succeed at them, but, the missions are mandatory so that our plans can further progress." He added, standing from his seat. "Tousen will be handing you these assignments; farewell!" With that, he and Gin left.

As said, Tousen handed papers to each of them, instructing them that no one but themselves can know of their assignments. All ten returned to their rooms, and read their instructions; all of which seeming slightly surprised with what they were assigned:

_Primera: Observe behavior of enemies in human world, and report any changes on return in twelve hours._

_Segunda: Locate any possible threats, but observe, and do not strike. Bring report back in twelve hours._

_Tres: Infiltrate human science laboratories, and study their science. Return within twelve hours with full report._

_Cuatro: Study human criminals, and note any purpose of use. Do not kill, and report findings, if any._

_Quinto: Infiltrate human high school as Spanish transfer student, and act as discreet as possible, and speak no Japanese, whatsoever. Repot behavior in precisely twelve hours._

_Sexta: Organize report on all Shinigami captains within twelve hours. Must be written, as well as progressive._

_Septima: Infiltrate twelfth division, and report on new projects of Kurotsuchi Mayuri._

_Octava: Shadow Urahara Kisuke._

_Noveno: Study Karakura cultures._

_Decimo: Shadow Kurosaki Ichigo._

By them receiving said assignments, they were at least somewhat certain that they must have gotten mixed up since they all weren't really labeled. However, as they knew it, there was no sense in complaining about it. They left after a good few hours of rest and relaxation.

**~ Aizen**

In all truth, the former Shinigami captain could care less about the missions (that were purposely handed out at random), and didn't care if all of them got good results. The truth behind all of the actions up until then was purely for interest of his opponents. Now, he had only one interest, and this one interest required study that his Espada couldn't retrieve information to report. The loyalty and usefulness of his Espada.

Of course, he already knew that not all of them were fully loyal, and that some were even planning to turn against him at some point, however, that didn't make them useless, so he did not kill them. Now, usefulness was not just to see if the current Espada he still had were still useful, more or less, he was to see if it was _wise_ to use them.

There was something about the energy around them that told him that he needed to be sure, and he didn't feel like wasting time with weeks of observations and reports, so he came up with something more effective. He believed that it was the best way for it.

Shortly after the Espada left, he too entered a Garganta, and left Las Noches for a different realm. However, this realm wasn't the human world, nor was it Soul Society. When he stepped out of the portal, he was in a world of rose colored skies, standing on blades of powder-blue grass, and surrounded by trees of violet wood, and shimmering pearl leaves.

He stared out ahead, and saw a girl kneeling but a mere two yards ahead of him. She seemed about eight to nine years old, her skin a pasty white, and most of her body veiled by a pink cloak. She looked up at him with slate colored eyes, holding no expression. "Bonjour, Aizen-sama." She said to him, dully. "I've been waiting." She stated, her voice carrying a monotonous pitch that was oh so familiar to the ruler of Hueco Mundo.

The man's smirk on grew as he he walked over to the young girl, before kneeling in front of her. "You are here to fulfill my request?" He questioned, almost sounding like he didn't know. The girl nodded. "Then please, mon oracle, tell me of my Espada." He told her.

Light began to shine in front of her, forming a diamond shaped object in the middle of the air between them. It shimmered a light shade of coral as it came closer to the girl. "Tell me their names, and I will tell you of their purpose." She simply explained.

Now, of course, Aizen had begun to do so, starting with his weakest Espada, and going up the latter of them all, and so far, he was pleased. The girl had told him, for more than half of them, that they were of no threat, and was glad his plans needed no revision, so far. However, this didn't last long, for the next name he gave her was what set things off. "Ulquiorra Cifer." He said.

Instantaneously, the girl's eyes had widened in complete shock, then quickly turning into piercing daggers that shot a glare directly at him. "Non!" She yelled. "You cannot keep him; he of bat's blood! If you keep this one alive, you shall end in failure, and no progress can be made." She informed him. "The other three have no problems, but you must get rid of the bat!" She practically shrieked.

After her little object disappeared, she didn't even say an 'au revoir,' the girl just disappeared, leaving Aizen very (very, very, VERY) slightly surprised. Ulquiorra of all people, huh? He always believed that the Cuatro would last him awhile, but hearing the child speak this confirmed that he couldn't even be left to live for reasons that he had to question over.

However, that made his decision final: Ulquiorra Cifer must be put to death, immediately.

* * *

><p>this is my first time with Ulquiorra, so if i screw up, plz tell me!<p>

Hope u enjoyed! ^^

~ K. Fang-sama


	2. Value

"Chapter Two;  
>Value"<p>

- Ulquiorra's POV

Twelve hours I spent studying the criminals that have raped, vandalized, assaulted, and murdered many humans, but found no purpose for them, whatsoever. They were trash, just like the rest of the pathetic humans around me. If I had the option, I would have done the humans a favor, and killed them, but since my assignment clearly stated not to, I just kept my hands in my pockets, and continued on, hoping to find out something interesting (which was impossible with these humans).

We all returned to the throne room, all the others seeming rather annoyed about they're assignment; the Quinto, especially, since, by the sounds of things, had to appear in a high school as a transfer student of some sort. I was almost tempted to ask him, but by the rage he was clearly venting, I let him be, quickly reminding myself it wouldn't be useful, anyways.

We stood there for another hour before Lord Aizen returned to his thrown, silently, and calmly. "Welcome back, dear Espada. Before I explain my intentions, do tell me about how your missions went!" He ordered, sounding intrigued. We all went from ten to one, each report with details, but nothing truly special or specific about them. I could only question, why. "Very good!" Our leader stated, standing up.

Tousen and Gin then entered, both hands on their zanpaktos. I raised an eyebrow as to only inquire the purpose. "I left Hueco Mundo shortly after all of you did, and the reason for your missions weren't to grow stronger, but merely to test each and every one of you." He stated. Neutrality returned to my face; it made sense. "Now, I have three new orders that are to be carried out, immediately, due to the results of this test!" He proclaimed.

We all stared. This meant that there was some form of change either in our plans, or with our ranks. It didn't matter much, though. "Luppi, you are hereby promoted to Quinto Espada." He stated. The idiot was beginning to gloat, a little, before cutting himself off, short. "Nnoitora, you are now promoted to Cuatro Espada." He told the mantis. He was smirking, receiving some congratulations from the ranks beneath him, however, I had to question what was to happen next.

I regretted the answer, assuredly. "And Ulquiorra!" He called. I looked up at him, waiting silently while my subordinates stared at me. We were all wondering about the first two announcements, questioning why the promotions were necessary, and, if there was one thing I knew, his regards to me were far different. "I truly regret saying this," he began with the same, casual smile, "but, unfortunately, you have outlived your usefulness." He stated.

_"What?"_ This was the only word going through my mind as some stared in confusion, while others smirked, knowing violence came next. I didn't understand it, though. How? How in the universe had I outlived what I had firmly grasped. I was more loyal than the other swines, and certainly stronger, and willing to do as ordered of me, so why has this come to be? It didn't make sense, at the time...

"And now, Ulquiorra, you must be exterminated, immediately!" He finished. That was it! Everyone was on guard, waiting when to be told when to strike; when to kill; when to begin my execution. "Kill him!" He told the rest, leaving the room with them. Once the door closed, all hell broke loose.

With the sound of it shutting, Nnoitora was quick to lunge forward, and striked. I evaded, easily, but Szayel came from behind, and attacked with a swift, and quick swing of his blade. I dodged, but there was still a shallow wound across my right shoulder blade. Halibel attacked with Stark, and I was barely able to draw my zanpakto in time to block the both of them. Yami and Gin came next, frequently moving alongside the rest of them.

I had moved quickly, but the surrounding forces had ensured many cuts and gashes that I couldn't keep track of, my mind too focused on survival. I blocked what I could, but that proved harder once Ichimaru released his shikai. I was barely able to dodge the death blows he threw my way, but that only in turn lead to another striking, either making something break, or adding to the blood loss.

It lasted for a short while, until Tousen sunido-d over, and lunged his blade up through the center of my chest. I was beginning to feel light headed as the pain surged throughout my limbs, my brain and spine releasing an immense amount of shock. However, I wasn't going to succumb to death; I refused to allow them to execute me.

"En...close," I started, hesitantly, my breath just barely gasping out of my damaged lungs, "Murciélago !" I called. When the energy was released, I could feel the cold metal exiting my body, but what I felt more was the unbearable pain that ached throughout my whole being. I knew at an instant that I had to get away; there was no way of defeating them all.

I came at Halibel, Barragan, and Stark first, making sure that they wouldn't be able to interfere. I striked Gin's and Tousen's tendon and muscles within both legs, to ensure them moving was impossible. I dealt with the others as quickly as possible. I slashed through Zommari then Aranniero, nearly splitting them in half. I fatally stabbed Szayel, then cut Nnoitora down. Yami was easy, only giving him a blow to the stomach, then a jab in his neck.

Luppi was the last one, but he had already caught onto what I was doing. "Strangle, Trepadora!" He commanded. I was grabbed just as I turned, feeling the tight tentacles squeeze my chest until I felt my ribs beginning to break. The lack of oxygen was bad enough due to my damaged lungs, but this was much worse, and I could already feel my body beginning to fail me due to the poor air supply that was continuously depleting by the second.

I pointed out a finger, praying I still had enough power and focus to get him to release me. "Cero...Oscuras." I could feel the energy being released from my fingertip, and the tentacle loosen as we were sent crashing to the floor. What I felt more was the light-headed-ness caused by the blood loss, and severe exhaustion.

However, I got out while I could, gliding a short distance away from them before reaching out a hand, and opening a Garganta. I quickly ran through it, closing it behind me before racing ahead to some form of safety.

**- Forest Estate**

Here stood a traditional Japanese estate which stood next to a mountain; the river from the lake bed-waterfall area ran through a watermill that powered the house with a steady flow of electricity for the evening. Although the traditional manor had a large vast of rooms, and space, and was surrounded by a plenty of land, there weren't many people living in it; a total of nine, to be precise.

All nine were within a lounge, four pairs of two set off in different areas, while one stayed outside in the cool breeze of one of the waining crescent moon nights. The girl was no more than fifteen years old, a bit taller than average, and had good curves to show off, if she wanted to. Her skin was slightly tan, and her hair was long, flowing, and white; so white that it easily reflected the moon's light, even though it wasn't full. She wore a bright violet top with a pair of black leggings, along with navy blue skirt, with a belt around it, a sword strapped to said belt, and a pair of black ankle boots upon her feet. Her eyes shined like piercing rubies, more fine than any lord could dream of. Yes, she was unique!

The girl stared out into the the trees to the forestation, trying to see as far out as she could, before the blackened night covered it. She was fidgety, at the moment, her right leg thumping on the wooden floorboards as she leaned against the wooden balcony, and murmuring complete babble as she desperately wanted to leave from the boredom, but was ordered to stay put.

"Hey, Akuma-chan!" One called. The albino turned and met face-to-face with a male. His eyes were pearl white, and his hair was a very odd shade of brown, with a wild and messy style. His skin was like cream, and was pure and smooth. He wore white tennis shoes, blue skinny jeans, a red tunic, a silver wristband on his left wrist, and a sword strapped to his back. "Ya wanna fly, you can take off!" He taunted.

The girl addressed as Akume glared at the male. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Takumi?" She asked, sheer sarcasm evidently standing out in her voice, that was easily pitched with venom out of the annoyance of being grounded.

The older male chuckle, standing next to her, and staring up at the moon. "I understand why; the crescent moon is almost as good as a full moon, and just as mysterious while it's reaching towards it, or toward the beloved new moon; how sweet that blindness is to my eyes!" Takumi commented. "Trust me when I say it, I'd rather be taunting you in the sky, than sticking it here on the ground through a counsel that only, one again, beckons you to find a number ten. I wish that out deuxième understood that!" He added as a matter of faculty.

She sighed. "It's not just him, though; Première is getting impatient with me, too!" She complained, staring done at the ground with a look of defeat.

Takumi looked at her with eyes that mixed of sympathy and confusion. "Well, she has a right to be; you started searching five years ago, and you're still searching; what the hell is making it so hard?" He questioned. With how long it's been, one would expect some results for their new dixième, but that had clearly gotten nowhere.

The girl sighed again, looking up at the about-twenty-year-old male, looking lost. "Well, ya know that weird feeling you're supposed to get when the time comes closer?" She questioned. He nodded at her. "I haven't been able to feel it, and if I did, it's been unrecognizable. So, it's really made it hard to know when it'd happen." She explained, ashamed of the fact.

Takumi felt bad for her, but in all retrospect, he wasn't really surprised by her answer. Akuma was naturally known for acting weird, and describing many weird feelings and dreams, so the strange feeling that would normally come would just feel natural, to her. To actually be able to register the feeling as unnatural would be a shock, should he ever see her admit it, so it only made more sense.

He patted the teenagers back, giving her a reassuring smile. She stared at him, her face still making it plain obvious that she was at a loss. "Don't worry about it, you'll know when; just listen to your instincts!" He told her, poking her stomach. The girl giggled, smiling at the fact that she wasn't completely helpless, after all.

A whistle came their way from an older, black eyed woman, standing at the doorway. She motioned the both of them to come inside, immediately, which Takumi did so, slowly, waiting for the teen. He listened to a short path of uneven footsteps, before hearing Akuma begin to stagger backwards, groaning inwardly.

He turned back at her, only to end up racing to her as to stop her from falling. "Akuma-chan?" He questioned, concerned. She didn't answer him. All she did was keep her hands on her stomach as she bent forward on her knees, pain written all over her features, and tears building up in her eyes. "Akuma, what's wrong?" He asked her. Again, he received no answer.

The seven inside looked outside, staring at the two. They slowly approached, murmuring about what was happening, and questioning what had gotten into the girl.

**~ Ulquiorra**

The Garganta quickly closed as the ex-Espada raced outside of it. He tumbled over the first step he took, his energy almost completely gone. He grabbed the root to some tree within the forested area, and began to move himself out of the cockeyed position he was in when he landed, using most of the remainder of his strength so that he could sit up against the tree bark.

He gasped for some much needed air, not caring about the low reiatsu levels that would surely not help his injuries heal any, and not caring that the energy around him that was protecting him was disappearing as his released form began to disappear. All he cared about right now was breathing, it already being hard enough with his crushed ribs, punctured lungs, and not to mention the fact that he had been running for Kami knows how long.

Ulquiorra was completely drained of his energy, and he was well out of pride, for running away. But it was either that, or die, he reminded himself, knowing that he wouldn't have lasted a full battle with all of them. He didn't have the strength to confront the facts, but he did have enough to tell him that he still wasn't safe. Aizen would begin looking for him, the minute he knew that the old Cuatro was still alive.

With this in mind, he reached into his pocket, and got out a metal gauntlet, with four prongs that glistened with lights, telling the arrancar that it was still functioning. Quite thankfully, he never told the eighth espada that he took one from his lab, and was very thankful that no one had seen him take it.

He placed it on his left wrist, and clicked it shut. He heard a few noises from the machine, which registered to him that it was on, and operating so that it hid his spiritual pressure (even though it was still weak from the very recent assault to claim his life). Once done, he rested his head against the tree bark, and closed his eyes, deciding that he'd take care of the wounds when he woke.

**~ Akuma**

The teen was leaning up against the wall as Takumi continued to drench her face with cold water, asking her now and then what was wrong, but she remained silent due to the pain that grasped her, and the sheer fact that she didn't have a clue. The feeling made the usually-happy female be filled with void pain with her being that could only continue to confuse her; what she believed was called despair.

But she felt relieved of the stress she had on her shoulders after talking to the male in front of her, so why was she feeling this way? She didn't feel like this, and if she ever did, it was never so intense that she wanted to kill herself. Why was it there? What was the reason? She stewed it over for a little, taking in deep breaths in hopes for the pain to subside.

"Akuma?" He questioned, noticing the change. This caught the attention of the seven others within the room.

The girl closed her eyes, sending down another trail of tears down her face. However, the blackness soon changed when she saw a bloodied-up figure up against a large oak. She thought it might have been wildlife, but getting a better look at it, she realized it was a person. She opened her eyes, abruptly, shocked from the vision.

She forced herself to stand, quickly. Takumi was telling her to stop, but she only ignored him, racing outside. One step on the balcony, and a blink of the eye brought the same vision back, and her ears were ringing with moans and grunts of very distinct, and treacherous agony. This made her steps speed up as red light began to surround her. She jumped onto the banister before leaping into the sky, gliding over the forest, searching for the figure she knew was within the forestation.

* * *

><p>i never thought id hav this much in 1 day, but tht was it. i hope youll stay around for the nxt one!<p>

thx

~ K. Fang-sama


	3. Reasons

"Chapter Three;  
>Reasons"<p>

**~ Akuma**

The albino female continued to glide over the forestation, the sounds of the struggling person ringing louder in her ears, and the visions coming more frequently as she got closer. Now, the girl had to take it slow, or else the pain of despair would begin to weigh her down, again, should she find herself going in the wrong direction, and that weight was very stressing to her; always used to feeling so light.

"Akuma-chan!" A familiar voice called. The teen looked up and saw Takumi hovering above her, and the outline of his body shining just as white as his eyes. "What has gotten into you? First you tumble from the most unbearable pain I've ever seen you in throughout your whole life, and now, your flying around, like it's nothing! What gives? !" He ranted at her.

Akuma sighed, not sure how to begin explaining it to him. She new that he was concerned, for he acted like the caring, yet annoying older brother she had always needed in her life, but in all retrospect, she didn't know why the feeling came, exactly; all she knew is that the figure she saw had something to do with it, but she didn't fully understand why.

"I heard things." She whispered. The man arched a brow. "It was echoing into my ears; moans and whimpers of agony. I felt so weighted down, and so...sad..." She started, the sound of the figure's struggle coming to her ears, once more. "Then I saw him, when I closed my eyes; I had to do something, and the pain wouldn't go away until I tried to." She told him, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.

Takumi arched a brow. "Are you sure you heard someone?" He asked her. She nodded, a confident look on her face. "Well, Akuma-chan, I mean no offense, but none of us heard anything, not even Hiroshi!" He told her. Now, she was surprised, knowing the Deuxième to have the most high quality hearing out of all of them. "Are you sure you heard a voice?" He questioned.

She stewed it over for a few short moments, but never got the chance to answer. She gasped out air, as if struggling to breath, the suffocating, and immense despair squirming around her body, and pain coursing through her veins, and registering to her whole body. She cried out in agony, once more, feeling more tears trail down her cheeks as she felt the weight of the emotion cling at her legs, making them feel like led.

The male only watched as she went through the process, the light enveloping her body beginning to dim, and was struggle to keep its hold around the girl's body. He couldn't believe that such a thing were possible; what was causing the pain? The answer was blank, for he was clueless, and was still thinking it over as he saw her struggle to keep her place in the air.

He stopped when he realized what was about to happen.

Takumi reached for her, only in vain as the girl began to drop to the ground. "Akuma!" He called. The girl didn't respond, and she could barely hear his calls to her; her eyes wishing to close and succumb to darkness.

"Akuma!" The call was distant, and she didn't know who made it. She had happily accepted an escape from the treacherous agony that she was feeling. The feeling of her body beginning to lighten up. Her body was numb with pain, but she didn't care, she just wanted to stay where she was.

_**"You shouldn't ignore those who are calling you, Mistress!"**_ A female voice told her, in a light yet dry pitch, carrying some concern.

Akuma opened her eyes, and found herself in a crystal cave, that glistened bright red, furious burgundy, and so many other shades that came from her eye color. She was resting up against a giant, white-furred creature, with wings and claws outlined by a hue of pinkish-red. The creature's ear were perched high, her eyes were the same shade of the girl resting against her, and red marks of the same shade waved outward, toward these ears, similar to a design you see on a Mardi Gras mask.

The girl smiled, lightly. "Bonjour, Rayon!" She greeted her. "Comment ma batte préférée fait-elle? " She asked the winged beast.

The creature called Rayon grinned, revealing white fangs within her mouth. _**"Your bat would be doing better, if not for what you're allowing to happen. Now wake up, quickly!"**_

As if on cue, the albino opened her eyes, and realized that she was just about to hit the ground, once again hearing Takumi call for her. She flipped around so that the ground was beneath her feat, bending them as she prepared for a landing. The next thing she did was try to summon back her flying capabilities, but found it difficult, since she still felt weighed by the just returning pain. Although barely, she did begin to hover, not even three inches off the ground, slowing down the momentum she had been gaining, before letting herself drop to the ground.

The girl landed on her knees, her hands planted against the ground to stop her from collapsing, completely. She couldn't leave, she had to find this person, for it was the figure that would reveal as to why she had felt so crushed with emptiness, and torment. It stressed her to no end, not only because it hurt like hell, but she couldn't find him.

She blinked again, and saw gray colored oak, so light, one could claim it white, during the time of day. _"I know that spot!"_ She told herself. _"The only problem is getting there!"_ She added, remembering her very numb and aching body.

"Akuma-chan!" Takumi called again, landing in front of her. The man knelt in front of her, slinging her arm over his shoulder before picking her up, and trying his best to steady her on legs which to her, felt as heavy as twenty tons of steel, making it difficult for her to stand on. "Maybe we should get Kaito to examine you, after all." He suggested, not all too fond of the idea, but at a complete loss as what to do.

The girl shook her head, knowing their Sixième wouldn't be of any help, already, especially if Hiroshi couldn't confirm what she was saying. "I can't!" She told him, as a matter of faculty. "He can't help, not with this; the only thing you can do is help me find the gray oak, where the person is. We'll figure it out, then." She explained, weakly.

In all truth, he thought she'd just lost her mind, but he knew that she was stubborn, and the instant she realized he wasn't heading towards where she wanted him to take her to (which was easy, since she knew the forest like the back of her hand), Akuma would most certainly run off, all over again. With a sigh of defeat, Takumi headed northward.

**- Gray Oak Tree**

The tree didn't really stand out much; only reason it did was because of the color of its bark, and the limited spiritual energy around it, and it extended as far as four square miles of the more than 100 mile long forestation. It was surrounded with the most abundant of trees, and finding one's way there was near impossible without getting lost (unless you're with Akuma).

Takumi continued to get closer to the bark, and the more so he did, he noticed that not only did Akuma begin to pick up more of her weight, but she seemed to have begun to shake and quiver under its presence. Pretty soon, she pushed herself off him, holding her left arm with her right hand, and beginning to drag herself closer to the tree.

The Quatrième knew that she liked the area because whenever she was there, it was near impossible for them to find her, and drag her back to the estate. But it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that it was now stressful for her to be near the tree. He could see the beads of sweat trailing down her face, and her usual bright skin turning almost as white as his eyes. Each step she took was unsteady, and was very close to it just being her limping herself closer to it. He could hear her uneasy breath, and saw that she was shaking, violently.

He had just about enough when he saw her fall, again, holding herself up on her knees, looking the worst he'd seen her in his whole life. "Akuma, you need help! We need to go!" He barked at her, unable to watch her continue.

She shook her head. "I can't; it won't go away, then!" She told him, her voice hoarse, and wreaking of exhaustion.

"If I get this person, and find some answers from him, will you let me take you to Kaito?" He asked her, sympathetically. He couldn't let her struggle with this, anymore, he was desperate to get it to stop. He was willing to do anything, at this point so she'd just stop being so hard headed. Akuma, no strength left to speak, nodded her head, lightly. "Okay, I'll be right back!" He told her.

Then, he set off towards the tree...

Now, he didn't like being here, especially, so he went as quickly as he could to find whom she was talking about. After circling halfway around the tree, and found just what she was talking about, and it infuriated him.

It was an Arrancar, breathing in what seemed to be his last few breaths of life. His skin tone was slightly more gray than the tree, but just barely, and the only things that made him stand out were his green colored fingernails, green lines underneath his eyes, jet black hair, and his dirty, and bloodied up clothing and blade. He was resting, but seemed to be struggling to stay alive, and probably had no strength left to push anymore forward than he already had.

Takumi was questioning why it was him, seeing as how the instrument on his wrist was masking his spiritual pressure, and since he had no correlation with Akuma. _"Perhaps the tree, since she spends so much time here."_ He guessed, standing up straight.

_**"I wouldn't put my money on it, Master!"**_ Takumi turned to the sound of the rattled voice and saw a female who appeared human, wearing a long, black gown, had milk colored skin, flowing blond hair, white eyes, and a pair of white bat wings on her back. _**"This tree has too low of a spiritual energy to contain a spirit, it's why this one is struggling to stay alive."**_ She told him, looking at the being with pitiful eyes.

Takumi was surprised, to say the least, not expecting the statement, but figuring he should have known as much. He continued asking why Akuma was drawn here. "Then, it's because he's hurt, Ami?" He questioned to her.

The girl seemed a bit stumbled on how to tell him, easily. Takumi was regularly known to be bull headed. _**"Yes and no!"**_ She started. Ami put up a finger before he could ask. _**"Just listen!"**_ She instructed. Much to her satisfaction, Takumi stopped before he could say anything. _**"If it were because the arrancar was injured, she'd feel worse and worse with the ones we kill. I don't know if you noticed anything, but Rayon said that she wasn't affected in such a way."**_ She stared at the other male. _**"So if it were because this one was injured, every other battle before this must have had to affect Akuma, but I can easily tell you they did no such thing."**_ She assured him.

Takumi glanced at him, as well, still wondering how he could effect Akuma, but stopped short. He reached for the arrancar's face, and began to turn it from the right side facing them, his dark hair framing his face, and turning it to the other side, where the remainder of his mask stood firm, framing the other half of his face. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked, turning to Ami.

The female looked closely at the mask, her eyes going slightly wide as she realized just what he meant. The mask held the other's ear, and it was pointed, and ever so barely missing being horizontal with the ground. It was unmistakably one that belonged to a bat. _**"It makes more sense, when you think about it!"**_ She started, standing up straight. _**"All hollow forms are based off some sort of emotion, evil act, or animal; to say a Vosto Lorde didn't start with a similar form is near impossible."**_

"But why, then? There are hollows we've faced that are closer to bats than this guy, what's so different?" He questioned her. He didn't understand how the pieces fit together, and he wanted to know to he could help Akuma escape the agony. Takumi only wanted that, and he needed to know how so he could get rid of the problem.

Ami sighed, her head going down. _**"I'm sorry to say, Master, but I don't have the slightest clue; all I can say is that his suffering is making Akuma suffer, meaning if he dies, who's to know when she'll recover!"**_ She replied, truthfully. It was very confusing to her, too, but it mattered not. Whether either of them liked it or not, both Akuma and the bloodied up arrancar had to get medical treatment.

When his zanpakto disappeared, he started to help the arrancar, starting by sheathing his sword, in case he woke up. He grabbed its handle, feeling a painful serge rush up his arm, demanding he let go. Takumi had to hold back every wit that told him to pull back his hand, and properly sheathed the blade before retrieving his hand, and finding it burning with smoke hanging off it. Obviously, this wasn't gonna be easy without the blade's spirit wanting to hurt him even more.

He reached for his wristband, and placed his hand upon it. "*Fomu no henko!" He commanded, silently. White light absorbed the tiny object, and it changed into a long line of bandages. He tended to the warrior's chest first, seeing as how that was where the most severe damage. He wrapped up so much of the chest and abdomen, but with the stab piercing his air passages, he'd have to work something else so the arrancar would continue breathing for a short while longer. "Kuki no nagare!" He said, waving his hand in front of the other's face.

Instantly, the arrancar was beginning to breathe more steadily, and Takumi had returned to the injuries. He ripped the elongated part of the being's trench coat, then split it in half. "Fomu no henko!" He commanded, again, watching as the light turned the small pieces of fabric turned into medium length gauze. Takumi began to wrap them around the male's arms, wrists, and hands, making sure they were good and tight. After that, he picked up the arrancar, and placed him over his shoulder. He heard the other groan, letting him know he was in pain from the hold, and only adjusted his grip in case Akuma felt worse; Takumi hated arrancar more than regular hollows, and vizards.

He walked back to Akuma, who seemed to be in less pain, but was still feeling weak and miserable. She smiled when she noticed what Takumi did for the other, before beginning to allow him to help her up, holding her close to his body, then flying off, back to the estate.

* * *

><p>well, there's the nxt chap, and here r the translations to the commands u heard from Takumi.<p>

Fomu no honko: Form change!

Kuki no nagare: Air flow!

thx 4 reding,  
>~ K. Fang-sama<p> 


	4. Meetings

"Chapter Four;  
>Meetings"<p>

**- Forest Estate: Eleven Days Later**

Takumi came back with Akuma and the arrancar, making it an immediate stop for Kaito. He told the sapphire eyed male to take care of the arrancar if he wanted to help Akuma's condition, telling him of what he discovered on the investigation, and made it as clear as he possibly could that killing the arrancar would lead to the albino's own destruction, that they were certainly not ready to face, and it was the last thing they needed to worry about with Aizen out there.

Kaito did as told, then tried to help Akuma's physical weakness as much as he could, but with how exhausted she was from the crushing pain, emotional cages, and just plain tired from enduring both, she promptly passed out seconds after she hit the mat in the infirmary, and stayed that way until a couple days beforehand, still heading in and out of consciousness, and very distinctly not ready to return to her regular activities (or standing, according to Kaito), and she spent most of her days either sleeping, trying to stay awake longer for the medic.

Now, as to their guest, he just slept his days away, stirring every now and again, but was nowhere near conscious, and was still too weak. The arrancar was practically buried in bandages, currently wearing a clean, white kimono, fluffy blankets pounded on top of him to keep him warm, and to stop the shaking that had begun from fever. An IV was stuck into his right wrist, and there was an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, and oxygen coming to him from a machine. Their was a strange blue band that was tied around his other wrist, and it had a small light glowing green, signaling body functions were normal, for the moment.

Takumi sat in Kaito's office. The man was a little older than Takumi, with golden blond hair that went to shoulder's length, and had a very messy style, even though it settled against the frame of his face while Takumi's went all over the place. His eyes were sapphire blue, and were more narrow. However, though they were that way, he was still the most smiley one there, and it went well with his light skin tone. The man wore a comforting pair of black pants, with matching cloth shoes. He wore a puffy, white shirt, and a small, round emerald hung from his neck from a gold chain.

Kaito's office was anything _but_ a doctor's office. Even if the man happily kept himself at work in it, the room seemed so off. It wasn't calming ocean serenity, or the bliss of night that enchanted the room, oh no! The room was exotic with walls that were painted in traditional calligraphy (very well done, need I add), to represent high mountains with forestation and standing above a river valley; an inspiration he got, no doubt, from heading up to the mountains during the day. The floorboards weren't any special color, but he had place a large, rectangular rug on it with so many colors that brought out the joyous summer.

The twosome were kneeling on the floor, finishing up what appeared to be paperwork, but it was distracting for Takumi, because the desk was the deepest shade of brown he'd seen in his whole life (not even stained, yet), and the fact that Kaito's desk was covered in so many ornaments including a chipmunk pencil holder where ink pens made from peacock feathers stood high...which was why he brought his own.

The blond put his papers in a pile, tapping the edges of them on the desk a few times to ensure they were even, before setting them down, and beginning to fiddle with his color cube, still trying to find out how Hiroshi could solve their Première's puzzles. He continued to for a few minutes, getting so very frustrated, before being distracted by his superior. "Anything new?" He asked, concerned.

The elder man looked at him with slight shock, before sighing, a sad smile laying its way onto his face. He placed the cube down, and looked back at the other, intent on having a conversation through the boredom he knew would last for a little more than an hour. "Our 'guest' is still barely alive, and is gonna be lucky to wake up before the end of the month, especially with the fever he cooked up. As for Akuma, herself, she's still very weak, and isn't able to stand up in her condition; I'm lucky to keep the poor girl conscious long enough so she can eat! I'm afraid that I've done all I could on helping her recover, and I'm afraid that it more than likely won't go away before our arrancar recovers." He informed the other.

Takumi sighed. He really was hoping that there was some sort of change, praying that the problem could be dealt with faster. As if reading his mind, he felt a hand touch his shoulder from across the table, and found it to be none other than the paramedic he was currently working with. Kaito was smiling at him, eyes still holding concern. "It's good to see that older brother in you hasn't left!" He commented. Takumi smiled, looking down at the floor, and beginning to fiddle with his thumbs. "Time needs to take its course, Takumi; if problems could be solved _that_ quickly, Akuma would be in here, punching your arm, and bashing you through my wall!" He reminded him.

They both let out a spurt of laughter, remembering the girl's tantrums because they always worried too much about her. A smirk remained on Takumi's face as the two quieted themselves. "Time does move faster, here!" He reminded them. Kaito's smile grew as he held out a hand as if saying 'there ya go!' Except, Takumi wasn't done. "Although, I don't think she'll be punching anyone into these walls; she helped you paint them, and she murder the person twice when the day came that it was broken." He threw in.

Then, he laughed. "Yeah, that was fun!" He sighed out, remembering how excited she was to begin. It was a little over a year before her expectations were being piled on her. The girl was jumping up and down, too anxious to contain her energy, and ready to burst into a run, if he hadn't stopped her. He remembered her smiles, simply because her being upset was actually very hard to do unless you knew how to pull her strings, and he enjoyed how innocence continued to sparkle in her eyes, no matter what storm blew her way.

He prayed that it could stay that way after all of this was taken care of, but he was pulled from his thoughts when a gong echoed through the walls of the traditional manor. The annoyed look on their faces read clear that they had to leave for their meeting with the other seats, and they weren't looking forward to it. Why is simple: the arrancar wasn't awake, their reports were going by theory, alone, and Akuma wouldn't be there to lighten the boredom.

The two got up from the comfortable position they had in the strangely decorated office, then left for their meeting...

**~ Akuma**

The girl woke up and saw the crystals, again, a smile forming on her face. _**"Hello, Mistress!"**_ The oh so familiar voice called. Akuma looked up, and saw herself staring at the lovely, and rather large bat, Rayon. The female smiled down at the teen, gladly acknowledged by Akuma's very welcoming giggles. _**"Still tired, I see."**_ She started, rather casually.

The teen rolled her eyes, before leaping up, giggling as flight came her way. She hovered in front of Rayon's face, smirking as her legs crossed, and while the bat stared at her, awaiting a response from the girl. "So, what's up with you?" She asked the winged creature, seeming intrigued by simple conversation, planning for fun alongside it.

The girl flew off, racing behind the creature away from the large crystal she happily claimed for a place to relax with the bat she fought alongside with. The room was large, and the ceiling was as high as a six story building. There were areas that were designed for relaxation, some for venting anger and/or getting out energy, and the lovely platform she was happily resting on stood for all of the said purposes.

Akuma landed on top of it, arching her back, and bringing her hands near her chest, while narrowing her eyes, spreading her legs apart, and bending her knees. Rayon got closer as the girl let out a cry, bringing a high kick into the air. She sent out a few punches before ducking and moving as if she were tripping somebody with her leg. She did one large back flip, releasing a tornado kick, then landing with her fist to the ground.

Rayon let out a light chuckle. _**"As much as I would love to get passed this, quickly, and have fun with you, Mistress, I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit puzzled at the moment."**_ She confessed, looking away from the girl, and ears going down in pure shame. Akuma flew over and patted her zanpakuto's head, before sitting on top of her, one leg resting on another, as the female's ears darted upward. She noted that expectant look on the teen's face, and continued with her explanation. _**"This will sound weird to you, but why did you extend your world?"**_ She questioned her mistress.

The regular reaction from the girl was her head poking down, a wide grin on her face, for her world did have its reasons for small and large changes. However, when said person poked her head down, the face seemed just as puzzled mixed with shocked eyes and a perked eyebrow with a question escaping her mouth. "What the hell are you talking about, Rayon?" Her world may change without her knowing, but that only happened once, and the girl had no reason to have changed it, or extend it, as Rayon proclaimed she did.

Akuma continued to stare at Rayon, whom just seemed confused on how she should answer. _**"Are you sure you wish to know?"**_ She asked the teen. Akuma waved her hands out with an expectant look on her face that read 'it be nice!' The bat sighed, once more before directing one of the claws upon her right wing and pointing across the room. _**"That way!"**_ She told her.

The red-eyed teenager turned her head, and found herself surprised. On the other side of the room, a tall passageway that had never existed before had made a tall, narrow exit way that lead to a set of stone stairs with gemstone lights guiding upward to an unknown area. Akuma didn't think that her breakdown made the new area, simply because the pathway was nonexistent the last time she was there.

With a sigh, Akuma stopped with the Judo, and began to walk towards the stairs...

**- Forest Estate Meeting Room**

Out of all the rooms in the house, this room held; not a lot; but an interesting form of character. Walls were left white, doors and floorboards were left the same color they always had been, along with the table just being a plain stained table with no special decor; not even a centerpiece. The only real thing that struck any form of individualism were the chairs. Each were numbered, four on each side, one on each end, making a total of ten.

At the far end of the room was where it started. Each chair was crafted for so they felt comfortable, and so the room wasn't completely boring. Each chair had a painted number on the back to signify where each person sat, and each were in different color. The far end was number one, then going around from the left side of this chair continued around the table until it was back at the other side of said chair at number ten. The colors went as followed, one-ten: gold, violet, orange, white, red, sky blue, black, silver, yellow, then green.

In the first chair is where an old woman sat with very narrow golden eyes, with gray hair held up in a bun with fuchsia colored chopsticks in it. The woman's skin was wrinkled, and was slightly peach. She wore a coral pink yukata with designs that resembled some form of flower, a dark blue obi, white socks, and zori sandals.

The second was a tall, lean, and muscular looking man with stunning purple eyes. His skin was a very pale tan, and his hair was long, and blue, bangs fanning out, and nearly veiling his eyes, and side burns gown out to shoulder's length while the rest nearly went to his thighs. Surprisingly enough, even if he looked like this, the man was still dressed well, wearing white dress pants, a pair of white designer boots, and a black dress shirt, with the top button undone. He also had a ring around his finger that shined of pure gold.

The third was another female, but she was younger than the old woman, about nineteen years of age. Her skin was the darkest in the room, light brown tone and her eyes shined bright orange that flared out like a cat's glare. Her hair was short, and more in place than the man next to her, but only added to the exotic look, for it shined like jade. She wore khaki shorts, white flip flops, a tight pink tank top, with fingerless gloves to match that went passed the elbow.

Takumi sat next to this girl, and Kaito sat across from the old woman, leaving the chair between them untouched. The sixth person sat next to Kaito, opposite to Takumi. She seemed to be in her early forties with bags forming underneath her eyes of onyx black. Her skin was white, but it held a firm tan color, while her long hair flowed in lavender curls all the way to the edge of her shoulder blades. Her top was a black spaghetti strap with lace and similar to a corset. She wore a plaided skirt that went to her knees, with chains dangling from her hips, and a pair of tall black boots, with buckles going up her legs.

Next to her sat another male. He was the smallest one of them, no taller than two-two and a half feet, tops. His skin was peach, and he was rather pudgy. His eyes were oval shaped and held a silver hue in them, while his salmon colored hair fanned out as the little guy climbed onto his booster seat. He wore blue shoes, a pair of overalls, and a white t-shirt.

Another girl sat next to the squirt. She seemed a little older than Kaito, yellow eyes darting out light arrows, with white skin that only made stand out more. The girl's hair was red, and it flowed down to her knees in partial pig-tails being held up by black bows of laced ribbon. She wore a long white dress whose skirt was so long, she had to pick up to walk in it. Her heels were also white, yet the gloves on her hands were laced and black like the ribbons in her hair. The tenth seat was left empty.

All of them had papers, to some amount, but Kaito was, quite sadly, stacked highest, which made him the center of attention. "Le Sixième!" The woman across from the blond called. He looked up at the old woman, just realizing he sat down, and that the meeting was starting. "Perhaps you'd like to tell us about the arrancar, and the condition of Nadari Akuma." She demanded more than asked for it.

The blond nodded, wanting it off his chest so the meeting would be done, and so he could head back to Akuma; he was just as worried, but he had to get it over with, that he knew. "Of course, Madame Hikari." He replied, unenthusiastically, and voice dripping with sorrow. He stood from his seat, looking over the others. "Well, I guess I should begin with Akuma, seeing as how the condition of our guest may take some more time." He started. Everyone there nodded in agreement, most only caring about the girl's condition. "Well, as of a few days ago, she had regained consciousness, however, she's experiencing severe drowsiness, and goes in and out of consciousness, most of her days remained in slumber, while I'm barely able to keep her awake long enough to feed her. Even still, she's still acting so different, and I'm afraid the exact cause to her condition is still a mystery, to me."

There was a small murmur around the room, before the man next to Madame Hikari spoke up. "Has your zanpakuto heard any news from Rayon regarding her condition?" He questioned, his voice deep, and subtle, looking at the blond with strict and serious eyes.

Kaito gave him his best professional gaze, trying to get passed his worry, then answered. "Yes, numerous times during her comatose condition, and even more so when she awoke." He replied, curtly.

"Is there anything he told you which is of use to discovering the cause?" He asked, his voice flat and monotonous.

Kaito thought it over for a short while, looking back at what he was told, and trying to pick his words carefully on how to explain it. He then looked back at the bluenette, and answered. "Yes and no, Hiroshi." He began. The murmuring stopped as everyone gazed at the medic with quizzical gazes. A deep sigh escaped his lips before explaining. "Soin told me that Rayon was rather disturbed at her mistress's behavior. Apparently, she was still in the midst of despair, and her inner world was so dark. Akuma was practically reaching for Rayon so constantly, poor girl was surrounded with agony. When she came to, however, it seemed to have disappeared within herself, but she still expresses pain, always looking towards the arrancar's room. Being conscious of his struggle makes it unbearable for her to be around, and her inner world is now her escape, because she no longer feels it, for some odd reason."

Hiroshi seemed surprised by the sudden change in the girl, and the others seemed at a loss for words. Except for Takumi, one of whom was glaring at him for not telling him in the first place. The blond cringed, an apologetic look telling the younger male that he was sorry, but he only wanted to explain it once so it's out of the way, and stays that way. "And the arrancar?" Takumi asked through gritted teeth, not liking the fact he had to save the enemy to help Akuma.

Again, a sigh escaped Kaito's lips, not even sure where to begin, but settled with the condition, first off. "As we all know, the arrancar is currently unconscious, quite sadly in between a coma and his inner world, so forcing him to wake up would more than likely cause an after effect that I can personally say would end bloody, _no matter how wounded he is_." He started, purposely putting the emphasis on the tail end of his sentence so that five out of the other seven wouldn't bother asking why he couldn't. "I'm quite surprised with how damaged he was when he came in; broken ribs, injured lungs, crushed organs, along with broken limbs and the number of gashes, scratches, and bruises. From what I can tell, he was outnumbered, nearly outmatched, and to top it all off, I highly doubt that a shinigami or a human did this to him, meaning-"

"He was more than likely attacked by his own kind." The girl with black eyes finished, glaring at her folded hands. _"To turn against their own bretheren, they really have no shame at all. And to not even op up a fair battle; what dishonorable ingrates! THEM AND AIZEN ALIKE!"_ She shouted in her mind, her glare hardening as her hands began to bare white from clenching them.

Kaito put a hand on her shoulder. The girl in the seventh chair turned surprised, glaring at him before her eyes softened, and her body relaxing as her hands unfolded, looking away in such pity; one thing she rarely had towards those she despised. "I understand your anger, Keiko; I was quite surprised that he took up such damage and was able to survive! I say give him another hour out there, they would have succeeded in killing him. Akuma's strange behavior saved his life." He told her. Keiko smiled.

The blond stood before the others, once more, and continued with his report. "With him being out there for Kami-sama knows how long, and with how little spiritual energy is around the Gray Oak, death was coming quickly, and bacteria was already beginning to harvest within the body, so there was no stopping him from getting sick; the wounds were treated immediately, and I didn't bother at first because I was more inclined with keeping the poor soul alive." He explained as quickly as he could. "As for his connection to Akuma, all I can tell is that he was one of those hollows before becoming arrancar, next to that, eleven nights ago was really their first intercourse, and he was unconscious through the whole thing." He added in.

They all nodded, the subject making sense, and quickly moving on. "Anything else?" Asked the female in between Hiroshi and Takumi, looking expectantly at their medical expert.

The sapphire eyed male sighed once more, giving her a look of his own discomfort. "If only there weren't, Mei; I'd actually like to sit down." He complained with a shrug. This caused a few chuckles to go through the room, even from Takumi, who knew he said the last part on purpose because Akuma wasn't there to make it better. "There are a few things about the arrancar I'd like to discuss that I found peculiar, so much as to a sense Hiroshi may be amused." He stated.

The bluenette's eyebrows went up as people chuckled, knowing that was exceedingly hard without there being a major jump in the drama, or extremely difficult brain puzzles, both of which were very rare because Hikari made it end rather quickly. Still, he smirked, wondering how Kaito would attempt to amuse him.

Said man took in a deep breath before beginning. "The first is what I discovered while changing his bandages. Although, it's not much, it's still very odd to me." He started. "Our lovely arrancar had a tattoo on his chest that really makes one perk an eyebrow, and I've yet to wonder why it's there." He started off, calmly, giving off his usual grin.

A good amount of groans ran through the room has Hiroshi's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why it meant anything. "Why should we care about that?" The two-year-old asked in a voice that sounded only slightly higher in pitch to the bluenette in the room, and it coming out firm, like an adult's.

"Yeah! I've got one on my back that looks like a cobra, and Atsuko has a rose on her ass; what difference does that make?" Said Keiko, who caused five heads turn to the now-flushing-red-head in surprise, in which included Hiroshi and Hikari, who were surprised that the idea of her getting one was possible. _And of all the places..._

Kaito cringed, taking a breath through gritted teeth. "Anyway," he started, slowly bringing everyone's attention back to him, "as true and slightly surprising as those facts may be, Keiko, this one is particularly odd, and is definitely not your regular day tattoo." He guaranteed. Now they were intrigued. "It was a number; four, to be precise. It's bold, and takes up most of the upper left portion of the body, right above where the heart is meant to be. It's odd..." He began.

Hiroshi took in the little amount of information, but only just getting into deep thought, the 'two year old' spoke, again. "The number four?" He questioned. Kaito nodded. "Obviously, Aizen has a strange way of ranking his arrancar; this one is fourth best, then, very close to the top officials of the army." He stated, rather calmly.

"True, but it inclines more than that, Ryuunosuke." Hiroshi told the midget. All eyes went to him. "True, I believe Aizen has this required that they get a tattoo symbolizing their rank, but I highly doubt he cares on where it is." He started, simply. "That was entirely left for the arrancar to choose, and he placed it here." He said, pointing in front of the heart.

"Your point?" Ryuunosuke asked, leaning back, and giving the man a scowl.

Keiko let out a good few chuckles, while Atsuko looked at the young ling, pointing a finger out. "As told by Keiko, you can tell a lot about a person with a tattoo depending on what ya got and/or where you put it." She said, her voice very practical, and firm before letting out a giggle as the guy looked up at her in shock.

Hiroshi took in a deep breath before continuing. "That fact is actually very true, no matter what sense you put it in, and seeing as how Aizen required a number of rank, I can give you some brief detail about the arrancar before we even meet him, in person." He promised. They were all looking at him with utter suspense so great, Kaito let himself sit back down to let the other take the stand (which he happily took). "He placed it upon his front torso, symbolizing he's straight forward, and he has a practicality for strength, and wouldn't hesitate to kill something weak, unless he has meaning not to. The fact it's on his upper chest proves he's loyal and does as told, without question, which means it'd be rare if he were to not listen to direct orders." He implied.

The others didn't seem happy; if this was the case, then more than likely, he'd still be Aizen's loyal servant, and they'd have to verse him, and with Akuma's case, that was the worst thing they could do. Hiroshi continued, though. "However, as to the fact it's above the heart," he began, getting back the attention of the small audience, "this proves that his actions aren't based on lust of power, loyalty, more for personal intentions and purpose. For example: what's the purpose or point of going back to Aizen when it could mean his death sentence?" He inquired.

The answer was simple, and that there wasn't, unless he really had a death wish. With that, they relaxed, and Hiroshi sat down, returning the floor to Kaito, who stood back up, looking pleased. "Well, that was very interesting, Hiroshi; should help us get answers when he wakes up!" He implied. The other male only smirked in response. "Onto the other thing I wanted to bring up, is actually something more confusing; how this arrancar got here." He stated.

"So what? Guy got to the human world through a Garganta to get away from his attackers; I don't know about you, but that's not all that surprising!" Keiko yelled at him.

Kaito put his hands up defensively, shifting back as she did so, looking somewhat afraid of the girl, before trying to relax from the outrage as the older woman settled back into her seat, glaring at him. With a sigh, he continued. "I wasn't inclining here, as in the human world; I meant _here_! In Paradis Éternel!" He yelled back, seemingly frustrated with the fact. "I don't know about you, but I know for a fact Gargantas can't open, here, unless we open it!" He added, his hands on the table.

**~ Akuma**

The girl made her way up the stairwell, wondering where the hell it went, and why in the world it was there. For some reason, Rayon couldn't follow, for some reason being blocked by some form of weird energy that shined bronze, and remained strong whenever her zanpakuto came near it, however, whenever her body went through it, it flexed around her body until she stepped out onto the other side.

She made it to the top step and saw a long layer of cave floor that was revealed by specks of white fire that faded black as you got closer to the entrance. She went forward, heading towards said new 'exit,' curious to see where it went, but was unable to see outside of the mouth of the cave. She pressed on through the darkness, and stepped out.

Her body was surrounded by more of a copper color before she was able to exit completely to see that ahead of her was forestation. It was very hard to tell, but she didn't need to blink to know why. She looked up and saw that the sky was black, and was the only source of light came from a full moon that shined the purest white she'd ever seen; even then, it was still dim, which made seeing very hard.

Akuma narrowed her eyes, her vision focusing in more on the plants, and saw them of various variety, but most were green, and the barks to the trees were gray. _"Talk about bleak!"_ She thought, distaste very evident within the thought. The place was very odd, and far off from where she came from. The light she was so used to was now darkness, and she could but only question, why. She turned around and saw the cave she came out of was in the side of a mountain base which was a darker shade of gray than the tree bark, making it nearly fade into the black night if not for the moon. The large structure was disfigured, and was both strange, and very, _very,_ VERY, creepy.

The albino turned around, looking back at the forestation, and saw that it lead somewhere. _"May as well look..."_ And as she shrugged, she began a slow walk in a forest she knew absolutely no idea how to get through, where it would lead, or why it was there. She only pressed on to find something within the weird place, a strange figure in the sky soon following her.

She continued on for what felt like forever. Their was nothing to be heard but her footsteps; there was no movement, no sound, no breeze, just her feet moving along the path of the forest, while her eyes were still trying to focus with the little light they had to see with. The blackened world was so dim, and so..._haunting_.

She smirked. _"Haunting?"_ She questioned herself. _"More suspenseful that haunting."_ She thought with confidence. It was as if she were in a horror movie. A completely uneventful one! She would be the person walking alone, aimlessly, just ready to be attacked by the strange monster within the film. A lone target that was helpless and by herself...

The albino rolled her eyes. The only difference between her and those victims, right now, is that one: she was always on guard, two: things were too quiet for someone to attack her without being noticed, and three: if she was attacked, she'd fight it off before even thinking of running. The idea of someone having an advantage over her was both uncommon and unlikely to her, and with how void the place was, she highly doubted she could be surprised if something creepier came out.

The teenager stopped, suddenly, looking ahead at an open valley. Here, there was a bit more sound, a slight breeze passing through, filling her ears with sound slightly more un-eased. It was surrounded by the vegetation, but there was no grass there, like there was near the path, and instead of dirt, it consisted of hard rock, gray upon every fiber, darkening black as you got further the center. She pressed forward once more, as she continued to try and focus on any form of structure in front of her.

Akuma tried to see where the plant life started as she continued on, but saw something else. Stone had been risen into forming some strange form of platform, many yards ahead of her, as she could see. She continued on, trying to get a better look, and trying to see as to why it was there. After walking forward another few feet, she noticed a figure who was lying down upon it.

"Hey!" She called out, quickening her steps. "Are you alright?" The teen questioned the figure from afar, her voice echoing outward. She didn't get a response. The albino began to run forward, trying to see the person better. She was worried for him, and she didn't know what was going on. Akuma continued on, wanting to see if the person was okay, or even still alive.

_WHOOSH!_

The girl flew backwards, and skidded against the rocky ground. _"What was that?"_ She asked herself, slowly getting back up. That was difficult, because when she first tried, she had hold up her stomach, only just noticing the stinging, numbing pain it emitted from her abdomen, and the enduring the shock that came from standing.

Another swerve in the wind came, along with a loud shriek that made its ways into her ears. She plugged her ears, trying to find the source of the sound, but only saw darkness around her. The sound continued to ring throughout the air, as she continued to search, and trying to protect sensitive ears.

_"Where is it?"_ She wondered. It was hard to see, and her ears hurt too much, so figuring a location was difficult. She all so suddenly felt something sharp cut into her flesh from her back, and she could feel her shirt being tugged upward, and her feet leaving the ground, and feeling nothing beneath her.

She looked up, noting a pair of black wings flapping, and something carrying her upward. _"No wonder I couldn't find it..."_ She thought. The spiritual energy in her inner world kept everything on a pretty even level unless she was suddenly changing. The fact the thing was that loud, and that it could easily blend in with the black sky only made it harder to find as it glided around her.

It flew her back towards the mountain, intent on killing her if it had to. Akuma gritted her teeth. "Dirty trick, ya piece of shit!" She said, summoning the red light around her body. "Watashi no hikari kagayaka!" She yelled, summoning the energy, and allowing it to pool from her palms. She blasted the winged beast, enjoying the shriek it made as it let go of her, as she glided back into the forest below her.

Not too long after, it followed her. She pressed forward, determined to defeat it. She called the chant again, and blasting it, once more. The creature evaded it, and continued after her, eyes ready to strike and kill. She flew upward, continuing to fire at the winged animal that attacked her. "Hikari makikomu-tachi!" The energy swerved outward, filling the sky with bright, red light.

It was in front of her. It reminded her of Rayon, but she could see that only the shape could do that. The beast was a black bat, and judging by the looks of things, a male one. His fur was purely black, which would explain how her could have easily hid from her. His eyes, instead of being a shade of black, as she expected from most, she saw deadly, emerald colored eyes, that were ready to kill her, and thick, green marks trailing down his face.

It slashed at her again, sending her crashing towards the beginning the of the path. She landed with a hard crash, but she didn't stay, forcing her body to move before the male could hit her again. She felt sharp claws against her left leg as she landed on her stomach, the stinging pain from before returning.

It only got worse, as the pressure seemed to have only became more dense, attacking her body, and bringing back the familiar pain that returned whenever she woke_: _despair._ "I have to get back!"_ She decided. Akuma was lucky to hit the bat once, and he's injured her more, and with the situation she was in, she wasn't going to survive if she battled any longer.

She forced herself to stand, before turning to run. The male followed her, intent on making sure the girl wasn't trying anything else. She spotted the cave, and the dim lights. _"Please work!"_ She begged. Akuma leaped for it, entering through the mouth of the cave, the copper energy quickly letting her through before shielding her from the beast outside.

Tears stained her face, the reiatsu still pressuring her, and bearing agony upon her whole body. She ran to the back of the cave, and hurried down the stairs, lucky that she didn't trip as the panic from the pain was quickly consuming her strength. She ran through the entrance which she came, Rayon waiting for her, and barely able to catch her as she fell.

_**"Mistress? What happened?"**_ The girl didn't answer, she only cuddled against her zanpakuto's fur, sobbing from the new pain that came from the other winged beast.

* * *

><p>longest chap ever! sry if u guys got bored somewhere in between, but there's chapter 4, for ya! i do not own bleach, just my ocs and their zanpakutos, oh! and no worries, Ulquiorra is coming back in the nxt chap!<p>

and before i forget; Watashi no hikari kagayaka =light shine for me, and; Hikari makikomu-tachi =light engulf us.

L8r!  
>~ K. Fang-sama<p> 


	5. Black Void

as promised last chap, Ulquiorra will b coming back 2day. plz enjoy chapter 5!

* * *

><p>"Chapter Five;<br>Black Void"

**- Forest Estate Meeting Room**

Everyone was surprised with Kaito's reaction. He seemed very frustrated by the fact, which was very unnatural for he was normally cheerful and caring. However, with the bags under his eyes, and the stress he seemed to have been under for a while, it seemed as though that keeping his cheerful self up till then was very difficult, but he would try for as long as he could.

Hiroshi's expression quickly changed back to neutrality. "What are you inquiring?" He asked the medic, intent one getting the meeting finished so he can get his subordinate to get some rest. It was early discovered that if the blond didn't get rest a certain amount of rest a night, he was destined to be sluggish and cranky, and more than likely, he was getting a lot less because of the current situation.

The blue-eyed man had just realized, and let out a sigh, sluggishly beginning to stand straight, trying as best he could to relax his muscles, and letting out a sigh of relief that no one snapped at him, obviously not in the mood for an argument, and lacking the will to want to stay awake. "Well, like said, I was changing the bandages when I found the tattoo, but in this case, it's what I couldn't find that really made it alarming, and something I honestly don't understand." He admitted with a small shrug.

"What you couldn't find?" Hikari questioned, perking her eyebrow. Whenever she asked about something, every person in the room, not only knew it was serious, but rather important if the answer wasn't in there favor; trouble was sure to follow if it wasn't.

The blond nodded. "Well, as you know, the only portal that should get _to_ Le Paradis Éternel is a Sentier d'Ailes. However, I could easily tell our arrancar had opened a Garganta to get here; there's one." He started, now they were surprised. "For someone to come from Hueco Mundo using a Garganta, they need a Permission Key Symbol from one of us; that we all know is embedded either on the forehead or the sternum, but due to the hollow hole being there, I checked the forehead, and there was _no_ such mark!" He assured, adding emphasis.

They looked at him in surprise, but then little Ryuunosuke spoke up. "The mark doesn't always have to be there, so why are you making a big deal? There's still the uncommon choices of shoulder, chest and abdomen." He reminded the others. It didn't fray them, any. "And, if this is Nadari's doing, she put her mark on his shoulder." He added in. It didn't help, any.

Takumi turned to him, glaring in pure and utter rage. "AND WHY IN HELL WOULD SHE IMPOSE THAT ON HERSELF?" He screeched at the 'toddler.' He stood up, abruptly, ignoring the concerned stares that were being directed his way, and more focused on the only slightly shocked child. It was regular that he was protective of Akuma, why would it surprise him? "YOU REALLY THINK SHE'D SET HERSELF UP INTO THIS MUCH MISERY? YOU MUST REALLY HAVE A LOOSE BOLT IF YOU THINK AKUMA-CHAN WOULD DO THAT TO HERSELF!" He raged on.

The kid only shrugged, causing the fourth to growl before Mei intervened, staring at Ryuunosuke. "Yamaguchi-san, I would highly suggest you choose your words carefully before judging your superiors." She persisted, giving him a look that told him to stop, or else he'd really regret it; said look Mei used on him for good reason.

The little boy, seeming very startled by the gaze, turned away with a shiver running up his spine. "H-hai, Mei-sama..." He replied, dare not looking back at the eyes that would surely mean he was in serious trouble.

The pearl-eyed male smirked, before looking down at Mei, happily. "And here I thought it was impossible to stop the great Yamaguchi Ryuunosuke from going on with a theory of judgment; arigato Tsunoda-sama!" He told her, happily, knowing full well she cared about Akuma like an older sister, but because the two weren't on the others' good side often, so they stuck to formalities by calling each other by last name.

Once Kaito saw Mei give him a nod in recognition of his words, and Takumi sit down, he continued. "I would agree with both, simply because Akuma didn't give him the mark." He stated. There was slight tension as they awaited his next words, looking around to see if someone else would confess to the deed, but his next statement only made it worse. "He doesn't have mark of permission anywhere on his body; I've checked numerous times."

"WHAAAAAAAT? !" That's what came out of most of their mouths; Hikari excluded due to the fact she had as much self control to appear very shocked, while the regularly calm and controlled Hiroshi was caught so off guard, he couldn't help but to scream with the group, but did not stand up with them.

"What the hell do ya mean he doesn't have one? HE HAS TO!" Keiko screeched at Kaito, who flinched back away from her, trying to cower away from their glares. "Without the mark, no others but Koumori can enter, remember?" She yelled back at him. Others began yelling in agreement to her words, and began to look rather pissed at the blond man.

"Sit down, all of you!" Hikari ordered, calmly. They looked at the old woman, seeming intent on questioning the medic further, but they obeyed, and sat, silently. Nobody was a fool as to go against their first chair unless their was likely reason to, and this was not one of those times where there was. "Shichirobei, are you certain?" She questioned him. He nodded. "And you checked all possible areas? Scanned its reiatsu in case the mark was meant to be hidden in its flesh?" She asked him.

He sighed, once more, feeling disappointed and ashamed of the fact that he knew for a long while. "I did all that for places that people like me wouldn't dare to look; no such thing to be found anywhere on his body, nor in his flesh." He told her, truthfully, another shrug coming up. He was too tired to care about how they would react, by now. Hikari was obviously not pleased with the answer.

Before they could continue, the jewel around Kaito's neck began to flash a bright yellowish-green. He picked it up, and and stared at it for a good long while, gazing at it as if he were staring at Egyptian hieroglyphics and was trying to translate them without a manual. His eyes widened like dinner place, before he moved around, pushed his chair in, and bowing to them, slightly. "Excusez-moi, Madame, but I have business I must attend to!" He told her quickly, before racing out the door, and heading back to the infirmary.

**~ Akuma**

She awoke with searing pain, hunching her body into the fetal position, and screaming as loud as she could make herself. The pressure was once again collapsing on her body, crushing her, and weighing her down on spot in so much more agony than when it had begun. Her body was numb, and her back, leg, and side all stung, and the reiatsu around her was of no hand to relieve it, but only sharpened the pain. Tears were still running down her face, and sobs came out as loud as her screams, and if not that, then louder.

"Akuma-chan?" Said an alarmed, muffled voice as the door opened, behind her. She heard a gasp come from the person, but she still couldn't recognize who it was, but knew for fact it was a male. Rushing air swerved in a fast pace and returned less than a minute later. "What happened to you? !" Questioned the still alerted voice, landing in front of her and removing her blankets.

She looked up and saw Kaito, looking scared half to death; perhaps more so. The man grabbed an antiseptic, and turned her body over, ripping the back of her shirt open, and beginning to apply the medicine. Her back began to sting more, but she didn't understand why he needed it. "What...do you...mean?" She questioned him, her voice almost completely inaudible, and breath staggered from exhaustion.

Kaito seemed shocked, at first, but stayed silent, answering her question by showing her the white cloth in his hand, which was stained red with her own blood. Her eyes widened. _"What happened? I thought that passageway was a nightmare that I woke up from; how can I be bleeding?"_ She questioned, completely in awe at the fact the injuries she had received in the inner world. She questioned how it became real.

_**"Because, you came to me with those injuries, Mistress."**_ A soothing voice told her. Akuma looked up and saw Rayon, hanging upside down, and looking at her with concerned eyes. _**"It was bad enough when your world was concealed in darkness, but then you returned with those same feelings, and with those injuries. I woke you up in hopes of stopping the agony, but I see I've done more harm than good..."**_ She trailed off, feeling ashamed she couldn't help her escape the feeling.

While Akuma just seemed to be puzzled, questioning her zanpakuto on her theories, Kaito was as busy to stop the bleeding that appeared to have been formed by the marks of a beast of some sort. He was rather confused; no harmful creature lived within the world; it was meant for them. How Akuma got hurt by a beast was quizzical enough, as it was.

_**"So you say, Tou-sama!"**_ The man looked at his shoulder and noted that a blue-eyed, pink-furred bat standing upon it, and appeared to be a male. _**"These marks, for what I can tell, were made by creatures you have seen before, and are very common around here, seeing as you have some familiarity for it."**_ The bat stated.

Kaito stared at the marks on Akuma's back, and thought that he _might_ have seen them, but he was unsure of where they came from. But, if it was familiar in their world, finding it shouldn't be hard. That's what he thought, anyway, bringing the albino in the bed to sit up, and applying the bandages.

As soon as the male practically covered her whole torso, he moved down the body and not only saw slashes, but he also noted bruises, and some swelling upon her ankles and feet that must have come from harsh running. Now, the blond didn't have a clue what to think; Akuma hadn't moved in so long, these minor injuries should have healed, not formed.

Once he was finished treating her, he noted that, once again, the girl's eyes were on the door leading across the hall, and to the arrancar's room. Normally he'd advise against it, but with her current state, and tears still staining her eyes, the girl needed some form of distraction, and by her clinging to her sheets, he could tell that sleep was the last thing she wanted.

With the situation as it was, he took the opportunity to get the girl some food, seeing as how the only thing she ate that morning was a few bites of eggs, and half a slice of toast, so he knew the girl was starving, and her body would be demanding more nutrition if it were going to recover. But, of course, he wasn't about to leave the girl, so he decided to get someone he knew would come the quickest.

The blond stepped outside of the room, and sighed. "Hiroshi! I need you here, for a moment." He called, calmly, but with a serious tone. Inside of a few moments, the bluenette was in the medic's present, giving him a questioning gaze with an arched brow as to ask what he needed that was so important. The male pointed at Akuma. "I'm going to go get her some food, and I need you to keep an eye on her. She's somehow gotten injured, so you can't let her move as much, and try your best to make sure she doesn't fall asleep. And; just because I know you're gonna ask; I don't know how she got injured, but I do know she never left the room." He explained, quickly.

The purple-eyed man sighed before giving the other male a nod, so he could run off. Once he left, he entered the room, and sat at the head of her bed, deciding to observe her behavior for himself, see what he could make of it. Of course, Akuma noticed he was there shortly after he sat down, and next to quickly glancing at him, she didn't bother to give Hiroshi any mind, eyes still focusing on the room.

The man had been across the hall but once, noting that the idea of the arrancar coming out of his comatose state soon was highly unlikely, but he still had to question why her eyes were heading in his direction if her agony came from him. The idea made no sense to him, in any form or way that he thought it over. _"So what's the meaning of it, then?"_

The man was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the door bust open, spotting Takumi and Mei, and seeing that both were staring at the teen's bandages. "What happened?" They asked, concerned. Akuma looked back at them, but remained silent, clutching her pillow and burying her face into it. Not feeling comfortable remembering what she saw.

Hiroshi was surprised that the two were on the same page with each other, but he stood, anyways, making his way to them. "You'll know later! Right now is not the best time for you to be questioning her, as one should plainly see, so leave the room, and allow for Kaito to return so she can be taken care of." He told them, strictly. He accepted Akuma as a friend, and nothing more, not having the pleasure of the sisterly feeling that most got from her, and he wasn't as protective of her except when he had to be; such as right now...

He glared at the two, who slowly began to back out of the room. The teen lying down smiled. Seeing that Hiroshi was defending her was good, for she didn't feel like telling them anything about the hellish world she had seen, and the beast that resided in it. But, the smile faded, knowing when the blue-head got like this, the situation was serious, and she already knew she was in the middle of it.

Kaito returned with some food, and she forced herself to eat it. She was sore and tired, but she'd rather pull through the pain than to go to sleep and return to the feeling she had been forced to endure. Even though she had finished it all, she asked if she could go outside, not feeling particularly comfortable in the room where she could easily fall asleep.

Kaito had argued with her over the fact she shouldn't be going anywhere but to sleep for a little while, only to see that his superior had had enough, forcing the girl to succumb to darkness. The blue head felt so worried right now, not even he would be able to take the girl while she was in pain from the emptiness that would not leave her alone. The pitiful despair that continued to edge her away from her comfort zone.

**- Four Days Later**

Kaito had to force the albino to go to sleep for the next few days, but now saw that she was beginning to calm, and would even throw on a joyful smile, but only found that she had only become more exhausted, and slept even more, waking up to even more intense pain by the pressure, and the wounds that had barely begun healing.

The girl was in her inner world, again, and found no pain there. No pressure crushing her, no wounds physically scarring her, and almost no stress tracing her mind. The white-head ran a hand through her long hair as questions continued to pop up about the earlier incident. Why did she have a passageway in her inner world that Rayon couldn't enter? Why was there a world of darkness outside? Why did the male bat attack her? And the most perplexing one that came across her mind. What did she see in the open field in that dark place, and why was she having visions of it?

They had been constantly coming to her within a matter of an hour after she woke; whether in her inner world or in the room Kaito put her in. She didn't understand why the image came to her, but it kept creeping its way back into her mind, and continued to buzz in like a mosquito on a warm summer night, flying towards the ear of another creature.

She didn't know how to explain it, but whenever it came crossed her mind, the despair would rush up her body, and restrict her movements for what felt like hours on end, similar to that first night, when she got the vision of the unconscious man in the woods, and her mind poking at her to go and find him. She began to wonder if these visions had come in for the same reason, and if so, if the bat she saw a few days before was attacking her in order to keep her from doing just that.

With a sigh, the girl got up, excusing herself from her lecture with Rayon, and heading towards the passageway, completely ignoring her zanpakuto's request for her to stay. She entered, climbed up the cold, hard steps, and made her way to the exit that assured her destination of the dark forested area that clung onto night.

She stepped out, feeling the copper shield surround her before she completely stepped out on the dark unveiled ground of the nighttime forest. Instead of steering down the path, she looked up in the sky, wondering if she could spot the black creature she saw, but to no avail, for he kept himself hidden by the night sky. With a sigh, she raised a hand up, keeping her eyes wide open. "Hikari mokikomu-tachi!" She recited from her previous visit.

Red light blasted out of her hand, surrounding the sky until she found whom she was looking for, and he wasn't happy that the lights were turned on. She simply eased it off, reducing the amount she had filled in the sky, and holding a firm orb in her palm, but holding it down at her side with a hand to her hip, waiting patiently for the beast, slightly nervous in feeling that she was going to be attacked, again.

The male bat, even though ready to kill her, saw nothing but a girl holding a small light in her hand, and an expectant glance. He slowed down, flapping so to slow down his momentum, and then landed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that the girl had expected him to come at her, and had enraged him on purpose, however, was in no pursuit of a challenge. He stood there, looking at her with very calm and very cold eyes. **_"What do you want, ningen?"_** He questioned her, an accent clearly evident, but his voice dispassionate, and deep.

Akuma recognized the accent as what came from a Spaniard, which meant that the male probably spoke a good amount of the native tongue; probably fluently. She cleared her throat, putting her free hand in her pocket, and holding up her light up in order to see the bat better. "First off, I'm not human, just to let you know, and I don't think you believe I am one. And second of all, I came to speak with you about the matters of the other day; I need questions answered, and I'm not in the mood for fighting!" She simply explained to the winged male, truthfully.

He rested his wings on his back before looking at the girl with curious eyes. **_"What kind of questions could you possibly have, Onna?"_** He asked her, his voice emotionless.

Akuma resisted the urge to growl, but glared at him, making her annoyance evident. "Well, here's a start! How about you tell me why you were attacking me?" She more or less demanded it from him, not happy that she was attacked so blindly and was forced to run away due to being overcome by such an ambush.

The creature raised one of the claws on his wing. _**"That does not concern you!"**_ He told her, dryly.

"Oh, it doesn't?" She questioned. The beast nodded once, placing his wing back where it was. "Well, I suppose it would make sense, I mean, me crossing on your land does make a good anger for environmental issues, but it doesn't, because if that were really the case, you'd have attacked me the minute I entered the forest." She stated, bluntly. The bat stared at her, remaining quiet, and not bothering to reply. "I suppose it would be because I'm a threat to you, then." She told him. The creature looked at her, eyes carrying a slight hint of shock mixed with both pride, and a small amount of rage beginning to boil. "But, that isn't it, is it? Because, if I were a threat, I would have sensed you while I was exploring the forest." She added, smirking at him.

The bat arched a brow. _**"What are you trying to say, Onna?"**_ He questioned the girl, wondering where she could have been going with all the nonsense.

She gave him a serious gaze. "I mean that those are the most likely reasons for someone of your kind to strike, and even though it could be that, the behavior was too off for it to even come close, meaning that you attacked me for a completely different reason." The teen explained to the bat. The bat only kept quiet, ready to turn and tell her to leave, but was cut off. "So, what's the name of that person?" She questioned.

He looked at her, no emotion evident, but still slightly surprised she asked. "I thought it over for a long time, really," she started, walking closer to him, "and what I've come to discover is that I'm not a threat to you, but to your wielder, or how I should put it, _Master._" Now, there was shock. "A zanpakuto, no matter how cold and ruthless, still looks after the person who wields them, and that person was just that. You were protecting him from me, and this place is his world, isn't it?" She stated more than asked, but smirked again when the bat nodded at her.

Akuma began to hover using her flying ability, and sat in front of him, cross-legged. "I have a few things to talk to you about concerning your Master, but to start off with that, I need to call you by something other than 'you.' Do you have a name, or should I come up with a nickname for you?" She questioned him, acting sweet.

The male looked at the girl for a short while. He turned to face her, gazing at her with an intimidating glare, which she just shrugged at. It wasn't her first, and it wasn't gonna be her last. _**"I go by Murciélago."**_ He introduced himself, his voice dark and grasping a melancholic tone by the dull statement.

The girl raised a brow, recognizing the Spanish term. _"Talk about literal."_ She thought, bluntly. "Okay, Murciélago! Do listen!" She instructed. He obliged, wondering what she could possibly say about a person she had never even met. "I don't think I need to tell you how I got here, and I don't think I need to tell you that not only was it not there before, but I don't have a clue on how it formed." She started, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, and directing him to the cave. He nodded at the fact. "Now, I'd say that we just ignore each other, and act as if this weren't even there, but I can't do that! Why is because of the visions I constantly get of the same figure I saw before you attacked me." She told him, truthfully.

Although Murciélago held his composure strong, he was confused as to why she'd be having visions about that short moment before he struck her. "Now, let me continue; you'll want to know this bit!" She assured him. He arched a brow once more. "A little over two weeks ago, a similar thing happened, when I sensed him dying within the forestation near the estate he's in, now. Whenever I saw that vision, throughout the whole night I couldn't take it; I kept seeing the vision, repeatably, and was practically being crushed by a strong reiatsu that only seems to keep coming whenever I'm conscious of his being, and now, that's very often. This is the reason, however, that we were able to find him, and give him medical treatment for his injuries." She explained.

The bat raised an eyebrow. **"Where are you going with these statements, and why are you telling me of these happenings?"** He inquired, obviously confused on why she would bother to take such actions in telling him such things.

She sighed, looking up at him. "The fact behind it is that these visions give me a similar feeling of pain, but it also gives me the instinct to go in search of him." She replied, bluntly. "That instinct brought me to his physical location the first time, and that same instinct is why I'm standing here. I don't know why all of this is happening, but I know I'm not gonna get anywhere unless I do find him, again, and you're keeping him from me; that is the purpose of me telling you." She added.

The bat looked down at her, giving off suspicion in the dim moonlight, and lowering his wings as to put him on guard. _**"I will bring you to his location."**_ He started off, eyes peeled so as to watch her actions. _**"But, believe me, Onna, the effort will be wasted."**_ He told her. The girl only waved out her free hand, telling the bat to start walking. Murciélago obliged to the gesture, and began to lead her back to the valley he had brought herself to. He was only curious about why it was happening to her, and if it had some significance of any.

They walked in silence. Akuma was gritting her teeth, feeling odd being near the beast, but she was unsure on why. He noticed this, easily, and they both figured it was because he was still effecting her, like he had done the first time. She still had many questions to ask the zanpakuto, and many for his master, but about halfway to their destination, however, Murciélago began questioning the girl, himself. _**"Onna!"**_ He called, dully, expecting her to answer him, quickly.

She felt a vein pop in her head, being called that enough times in order to lose count of how many times he said it. "The name's Nadari Akuma! If you can't call me by my name, don't call me anything at all!" She told him, trying to compose herself, but failing with the frustration that bat had already boiled in her.

He ignored the complaint. _**"You claimed that you were not human, however, you look like one, and you are not Shinigami. What are you?**_" He questioned her, obviously clueless on what she could be, but easily telling that she was strong, and in no way was her spiritual pressure like ones he had sensed before (excluding when Takumi grabbed him).

She thought over how she could answer the bat, before looking at him with cautious eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, Murciélago, but I don't think I can particularly tell you without you being offended by it, first hand, and I don't feel in the mood to explain the whole detail of it." She told him, truthfully. If he had heard the term, she was very certain he would be very insulted by it, and explaining the detail she didn't particularly like because she didn't know how she could make sense of it to another bat that was clueless about her kind.

Now, of course, Murciélago wanted to ask why she would avoid the question, and in what way could she possibly insult him, only to find her running forward, just realizing they had made it to the dark grounded valley where his master resided, still, just like the first time Akuma had shown up.

She got closer, squinting her eyes so to adjust to the darkness around her as she strode forward on the cold rock beneath her feet. She continued on until she was but a few feet away, only to find herself slowing down, before coming to a complete halt as she stared at the figure in front of her. The only thing she could make out of him was his pale skin tone and his white clothes. He was lying on a welly crafted stone table, and seemed to have been sleeping, but she knew better than that.

The reason for this being was that the person was surrounded by some form of shadows that extended out until just a few feet away from the slab he rested upon. She stood there in awe, wondering how it was possible; why he was surrounded by this, and why he was unconscious. Lucky for her, she had a certain bat to explain for her. **_"Now, you understand."_** He proclaimed, calmly. Akuma looked up at Murciélago with slight shock, and mostly confusion. _**"The means of his condition had just as easily been drawing him into a coma, but his own endurance had stopped him from slipping, completely. He is trapped in between both that and here."**_ He explained, for her.

She stared at the male on the table, unsure of what to think, or do. She walked forward, determined to at least see a bit more of him before turning around, and heading back to Rayon. She extended a hand, knowing from conversations with Kaito that this state held up a strong barrier around the person, but she was determined to see, even if such thing had harmed her.

To both her surprise and the bat behind her is that instead of finding a barrier, she was able to step into the shadows. Murciélago was completely shocked. _**"Onna! How are you able to enter?"**_ He questioned her, but the question never met Akuma's ears, even though she could tell he was saying something to her.

Deciding to take this as a moment of opportunity, she took a step closer to the male figure. The shadows began to clear in front of her, and settled behind her as she continued to get closer to the person on the table. She continued onward, her mind trying to gather how she was able to do this, and was only getting more frustrated the more she thought about it.

She made it to him, and stared at him, completely surprised that there was a person she found more attractive than the bluenette, even though he was arrancar. The male's skin was very pale, and his eyes had thin green marks going down his cheeks that resembled tears to her. His hair was black, messy, and went down to his shoulders. His eyebrows were thick, and his hallow mask covered the left side of his head, appearing like a helmet, with an ear poking out at the side that looked very similar, but smaller than his zanpakuto. The hallow hole was located at the base of his neck, revealed by an open white trench coat. I saw that the rest of his clothes consisted of a plain white hakama, a black sash where his sword was held, and black shoes.

She wasn't surprised; standard uniform, and classic Aizen. Even so, Akuma had to question why she had vision about a half dead arrancar when they were supposed to be their enemies. She had fought many hallows and arrancars that appeared like the winged beasts more than he did, and a zanpakuto didn't make a difference, so what made her want to see him; speak to him; _help_ _him?_

She was dragged away from her thoughts, hearing the arrancar near her stagger for breath, letting out a couple coughs every few seconds, confirming that he could barely breathe. The female sighed, placing her hand of light over the man's chest, and opening its palm. "Hason shite nani iyasu." She said in a hushed tone.

Just as she touched his body, the arrancar began to breathe a bit more easily, the pain rising in his chest lessening as she pressed atop his skin over his lungs. Within a few brief moments, his breath became shallow, and even, peaceful rest finally reaching him, and the shadows around him moving back a few inches away from his body. For the first time in awhile, pain was not enveloped around him.

To say the two currently conscious were surprised was an understatement. Murciélago was still trying to figure out how she could get close to the arrancar, but found himself more surprised when not only did she relieve him of the pain he had while breathing, but that she had drew him further back into his inner world. He was trying to see how she could do such a thing; the condition his wielder was in couldn't be forced to dissipate by anything or anyone, for that matter, but himself.

Akuma was also shocked, knowing that such things no one should be able to mess around with a condition, according to the medic with such knowledge. _"Then again,"_ she began, _"Tou-kun did once say that he was able to do this for Mei-chan, but, that was different; he stopped her from slipping into a coma; he even said she was just at the in between."_ She reminded herself.

Still, she wondered how she could effect his condition, and, at the same time, why the male beneath her was calmed by it. She understood being able to breathe, but by what she knew, people like this don't like being forced to be drawn to consciousness and/or their inner world, but he was calm by it, still. The fact this was true made her wonder if she could continue to draw him out of the coma without harming him, and that curious fiber in her being told her to try, which she ignored when she was uncertain, but right now, her instincts told her to do so, as well.

She put her left hand on his chest in order to continue healing the lung tissue, in case he'd have trouble if she stopped. She then moved her right hand, slowly, before letting it rest against the male's forehead. She shivered at the coldness of his skin, and at the fear drawing in her mind; if his zanpakuto was that cold, she knew that he would be just as much, if not so, holding a more callous demeanor than he.

She sighed, her instincts telling her to keep going, and that the man had to be helped no matter how dispassionate he may be, and no matter how intimidating he may seem when he came to. She took a deep breath, before uttering the command, softly. "Tamashii o tasukeru." It escaped her lips near silently as the red light formed in her hand, again, and firmly pressing it against his forehead.

- Ulquiorra's POV

I had full knowledge that I had lost consciousness, almost completely, but I still heard movements and voices from outside. It started as a few distilled murmurs that had somehow met my ears, that appeared to sound a form of pathetic pleas. A different voice had responded, but it was too weak, however it somehow held a firm argument. The other voice came in a little louder, questioning the second person there; it was distinctly a male's voice, but it was hard for the words to arrange in my ears, for some strange reason.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Said the same voice that had just questioned the person beneath him. Soon after, I heard footsteps walking closer to my location. I was certain that it was just some traveler of some sort that would pass me, not recognizing my existence. However, the steps had drawn closer, circling around the bark, and as far as I could tell, the person was probably staring at me.

He stayed silent, for the most part, his movements near silent. After a few distilled moments, he spoke again. "Then, it's because he's hurt, Ami?" That clarified that he indeed saw me, but I was unsure of whom he was talking to; I couldn't sense anybody else there, with him. He was quiet for a short while, his feet shuffling every few moments, but next to that, he remained still.

He moved closer to me, then grabbed my face, moving it so my mask had faced him. He had taken a few steps back before questioning, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I thought perhaps he was talking to a spirit, but I'd be able to sense its presence and hear it. The next thought is that he was insane, and there was nothing in making me believe differently. "But, why then? There are hallows we've faced that are to bats than this guy, what's so different?" He yelled, enraged.

This caught my attention. The fact he faced hallows confirmed that he was speaking of me in such a manner proved he had a decent amount of knowledge about arrancar, as well. The fact I couldn't sense the person he was speaking to could imply that he had no sanity, but more than likely meant he was speaking with the only type of spirit I wouldn't be able to even feel unless it was my own; a zanpakuto. He wasn't a shinigami, I could tell, but still had the ability to kill me, especially at that moment.

He moved towards me again, and it only took a few seconds for me to sense Murciélago striking at him for foolishly picking him up. The man was somehow able to sheath him. I then heard him kneel in front of me, making some strange demand. "Fomu no henko!" I heard energy envelop around an object of some sort for a few moments, before hearing something unravel and fall upon the ground beneath me.

I thought he was just going to use a different pleasantry in trying to kill me, what I found him doing was wrapping a strange form of bandaging around my torso. I could feel him wrap the bandages around me, but I could only question why he was bothering. He obviously had a disgust towards hallows and arrancar, alike, yet he was still bothering to help me.

"Kiku no nagare!" He spoke. Air had filled my lungs evenly, and I accepted it, due to the lack of oxygen, and the desperate need for air. It was pathetic, but I did so to sustain my own life, and to just be able to just breath with less of the pain rising in my throat. It was near unbearable, and the only thing that kept me breathing was the fact I had to in order to live.

I felt him move me, then tearing the fabric from my coat. I heard him tear it a second time before muttering the same chant he had said the first time. Energy enveloped around the objects, and I heard the same unraveling I heard beforehand, then felt him tend to the wounds on my arms. Even though they were wrapped, and the blood loss stopped, the bones were still broken, and I had to suppress groaning.

He placed me over his shoulder, more burning pain rushing in me from the discomfort. He adjusted the grip before he headed towards a different direction. He stopped, picking somebody else up in his other arm, and from what I could tell, she was probably staring at me, too. The thought of that, for some strange reason, made my stomach feel light, and myself feel nauseous. I had lost track of the events shortly afterwords.

Silent, muffled voices could be heard every so often, but I could never grasp what was being said, but with each time I heard the voices, that same feeling I felt from the second person there that time rose up in my stomach, and sometimes when they weren't, I still felt it for a few moments, and when it disappeared, I found myself more focused on the pain and torture I had known as breathing, meaning that even with the treatment, my lungs had still not healed.

Quiet was what it had been for a long time with no changes, until recently. That urge in my stomach had only grown more intense for no profound reason, and for some reason, I wanted to move. I wanted to find what it was giving me the strange feeling. My mind was obscured as to why I should search for an unnecessary answer, but the feeling never left.

It disappeared for a short while, my mind still pondering on where it came from, and why it kept returning. However, such a thing was caught off short when it returned. The intensity so very high, it was difficult to contemplate. I couldn't sense where it came from, I couldn't see if there was something there, but I did hear one thing: footsteps. Very muffled footsteps that were near complete silence.

They stopped after a few minutes, the feeling in my stomach getting stronger. "Hason shite nani iyasu." So suddenly, I could breath again. The pain not subsiding but fading. I registered that there was someone there; by the sound of the voice, a female; and this person was healing me. The urge in my stomach did not ease any, but I honestly could have cared less. As strange as it was, I wanted the person near me to continue with what she was doing.

I couldn't shake myself of the urge, but something was still arguing with me as to ignore it, while the rest of my being decided go along with it as a hand pressed against my forehead. "Tamashii o tasukeru." Warmth radiated from the hand. I had slowly begun to collect myself, and what had happened around me beforehand, including the attempt to claim my life. The urge in my stomach pulsated in my brain as I remembered the person next to me.

I opened my eyes, shadows around me clearing so I could see the dim moon. My inner world. But there was hands upon my body, even though I was here. Just as quickly as I collected this, I grabbed one of the wrists to a hand, and turned my body over, watching as vibrant red illuminations begun to fade around a woman.

She was an albino with red eyes instead of the natural blue that regularly came with the genetic makeup. She was wearing strange clothing that I had only seen humans wear, but just by grabbing her hand, I knew she wasn't that of a mere human. The girl was different; more so than what I had sensed before. "What are you doing here, Onna?"

* * *

><p>yay! Ulqui's back! im sry if ya feel like he may b ooc, but like i said, it's my first time using him, so if u hav criticism u need to pt out, do me a favor, and dont bitch at me with it...Onto translations!<p>

Le Paradis Éternel: french for Eternal Paradise

Sentier d'Ailes: french for Track/Path of Wings

Excusez-moi: (obviously) french for Excuse Me

Ningen: japanese for Human

Onna: (i hope u already kno this) japanese for Woman

Hason Shite Nani Iyasu: japanese for Heal What's Damaged

Tamashii O Tasukeru: japanese for Help The Soul

the other phrases hav been used in previous chapters, and the translations should b at the end of the chap they 1st appeared on. hope youve enjoyed!

~ K. Fang-sama


	6. Questions

"Chapter Six;  
>Questions"<p>

**~ Ulquiorra**

The arrancar glared at the albino, not releasing the firm grip he had on her wrist as it started to turn red from the pressure he was forcing on her. What was she doing here? This was his world; the only thing that should be able to bother him was his zanpakuto. Even then, the two ignored the others' existence unless they found it necessary to negotiate something, and that was rare on its own. So why was this girl here? "Answer me, Onna!" He demanded, his voice still strong and cold.

Akuma, caught off guard by the reaction she had gotten after healing the male, slowly tried to calm down; not easy, considering the man was also bruising her wrist. She was trying to figure out why her instincts told her to help him, and it continued to become frustrating as she questioned how she'd be able to explain the urge she had to get close to him. She got what the urges had wanted of her, but now, found herself in such tenseness and discomfort, she had begun to regret her actions, and it was getting hard to hide it.

He took notice of her behavior slowly changing as she tried to calm, but only soon struggling to hold in painful expressions from appearing. Ulquiorra looked down at her wrist, noticing that he had bruised her hand, blocked off the blood circulation to her hand due to her hand turning swollen and red, and just noticing that he was putting far more pressure on her bone than need be.

Simply noticing she couldn't answer with what little he could have easily done, he released her, letting her take a few steps back to mend to her wounded wrist, so that he could make his way off the slab he had been resting on. There was a huge head rush coming up his spine, but he forced himself not to stumble; the last thing he was gonna do was look as pathetic.

"So sorry for helping your fucking ass!" The girl yelled at him. Ulquiorra looked up at the girl, and noticed that now that she wasn't concentrating on pain, she was more focused on letting her anger be known. "Be happy you're even alive; if not for me, we would have either killed you on spot, or left you there to die!" She threw in, her voice calming some but her pitch barely changing.

His brow only rose, next to that, Ulquiorra's expression didn't change. "And what did you mean by that, Onna?" He questioned her, his monotone voice not changing. He was not one to take such things, however, he needed answers on what was going on around him, and at the moment, the albino was the only person he could ask, for he knew his zanpakuto would leave him to discover on his own accord, for they barely interacted.

Akuma fell silent for a few moments. She didn't know whether telling the enemy or not was a good idea, nor did she know what else he may ask. But, as the way she was, the girl smirked, giving the pale-skinned man a gaze of utter confidence. "You do have rights to know answers, arrancar, as I have rights to ask questions; one reason for my being here." She began. Ulquiorra's brow stayed where it was, wondering where she would go with it. "Question for question; each question the other must answer with honesty; and I can tell when people are lying, so don't try it." She explained.

The brow relaxed. The former Cuatro saw the girl's game simply meant that she'd answer his questions in exchange he'd answer hers. Even though he obviously held strength over her, Ulquiorra didn't have the energy, nor the will to battle for long. Of course, Murciélago could help, but he preferred to battle on his own, or when it was truly necessary; besides, nothing said that he couldn't hold back on whatever detail he had.

With a simple nod, the female started. "Well, I like introductions. I'm Nadari Akuma! What's your name, arrancar?" She questioned. She needed names, otherwise talking to someone would be very awkward, and torturing them out of revenge would be less fun; something she needed to do at some point with her new 'friend.'

The raven-head simply gazed at her with melancholy eyes, the shimmer of emerald glistening as the dim moon shined over them. "I was known as Cuatro Espada; Cifer Ulquiorra." He replied, his voice just as dull, and seemingly smooth; so much, Akuma found herself surprised that he was even like this when he could pass as an angel, if he wanted to. Ulquiorra wanted to ask her what she meant by the previous statement, but he found himself more curious as to what she was. And so, he asked her. "Just what are you? You're obviously not human, and not a shinigami." He stated.

Akuma found herself caught in a pickle, and began to think it over. Now, she didn't have a choice but to explain her kind, but she didn't particularly like explaining, because she knew she'd be there for a little while before she was done explaining. With a sigh, she gathered the energy around her, and sat in mid-air, cross-legged. "You and Murciélago may wanna get comfy; this isn't exactly the easiest to explain, and it will take a bit of time."

The bat made his way to face her, while Ulquiorra relaxed against the stone slab, again, waiting patiently for her reply but still on guard, in case she tried anything. With a sigh, she began. "My kind call ourselves Koumori." She started. Ulquiorra looked up; the voice he heard that spoke about looking like a bat was now starting to fit into the puzzle. "We were around before the shinigami, and were even the ones who developed the zanpakuto. Like you, when we release our zanpakuto, we have a released form; said form that looks like a humanoid bat, only a bit more ferocious." She explained further.

Ulquiorra found himself intrigued, already. Did that mean that the Koumori knew more than any shinigami? Would they know more than Aizen? He found it hard to believe, of course, but he was still interested with the new subject the girl had brought to him. "We were one of the many demons that lived in the human world, and even though they had many beliefs, and still do, most demons had went to exterminate humans in both body and soul, while we were just working to get their souls reincarnated. It got so bad, we couldn't continue to reincarnate the souls; so our leader, Le Premier, created Soul Society, and left a kind emperor who had passed on to run it while we continued to bring souls." She continued.

"However, this only worked for about a good half a millenium; that's when the other demons got enraged. They joined forces, and had begun battling us." They continued to stare, mostly wondering why she was bothering with the history lesson, but still interested in what she was gonna say next. "Now, don't get me wrong; because of the zanpakutos, and our development of Voix de Volonté, we pretty much kicked their asses straight to extinction with how disorganized they were. But one of the leaders had escaped to a castle where an old king was dying; his name was Luisenbarn, I think, but I don't always get it right. In any case, he was transformed into the first breed of hallows, and had everyone in his castle and kingdom follow him; he created Hueco Mundo shortly after realizing that even with his new power, he was nowhere near strong enough to fight our armies." She explained.

Ulquiorra just realized what she was telling him; the reason why hallows and arrancars were the enemies of her kind was because a demon leader had devoured a human's body and soul at a state of dying, and caused the hugest mess of all times. With Aizen being in charge, it didn't change anything; just the leader. "Now, by this time, we were down to limited numbers; we asked the king currently in charge to find someone to start teaching the souls how to fight, and in exchange, we'd allow them to receive a zanpakuto. He found Yamamoto, and he began to train shinigami while we recuperated in our ways of incognito." She told, giving them a face that read for more information.

Now, Ulquiorra had learned how shinigami had become the enemy of his kind. Still didn't answer his question, fully, but he was interested in what the girl would tell about the history. "Almost two thousand years later, humans started catching onto our game and began killing us off. While the strongest ten, or so, made a new world for hiding and to set things in order, most everyone revolted them, and went under new leadership, who declared that humans deserved to die, and that the shinigami were the enemy. This caused an all out war that got everybody fighting except the ones hiding, who did not know what they could do. Soon came time that Yama-jii called up Le Premier and asked for help. In the end, the ten left killed off their own kind, deciding it best to live in scarce numbers, and instead of killing the crack-head leader, they took away his powers so he would live as a human for the rest of his days. He was left with a glowing wing that barely stood, which he tore off, and utilized his spiritual powers as to make bow and arrow; calling himself a Quincy, and began heading out to recruit more." She told them.

And that explained why the Quincies were against both shinigami and hallows. "All of this lead to we Koumori who take the form of humans. Our code states that we take the form of humans, and don't use our powers unless it's necessary. Those times are indicated by instinct, which we don't ignore, because of the fact that should we, it normally leads to catastrophe." She explained, further. "Does that fill in the blanks for you?" She questioned.

Ulquiorra presumed it was another way of asking if he understood, and so, he simply nodded at her. She smiled. "And just so you don't ask, I gave you the information so you wouldn't ask about it, later; I hate it when people bother to!" She told him. That simply answered another question within the arrancar's mind. "You said you were known as Cuatro Espada; _known,_ meaning past tense. What happened between you and Aizen that made the fact ancient history?" She questioned.

The two bats beneath her view knew that she was going to ask at some point, seeing as how she wasn't as dumb as she was making herself appear to them. And so, Ulquiorra stood straight just as the girl lowered herself enough to be at his level, and to make eye contact; she had to make sure he wouldn't lie. "One of the Espada's recent orders were to go on missions outside of Hueco Mundo; ones that were to be explained in detail should they be useful in his plans. We stayed on task and returned to Hueco Mundo twelve hours later, with our reports. Shortly after, Aizen-sama declared orders that were to be carried out, immediately. He promoted two of the Espada, and sentenced me to death; claiming I had outlived my usefulness." He explained.

Akuma was a bit surprised. "Were you disloyal? Did you go out of place?" She questioned. The arrancar simply shook his head once. "So you were loyal and you're very powerful, but Aizen claimed you useless and told the others to kill you?" She received a nod. "Normally, I don't care about arrancars this much, but in your case, I can easily tell you that Aizen doesn't do something like this without there being a reason, and considering you were Espada in Vosto Lorde class, he probably has a greater reason than 'useless.'" She told him.

Well, of course, he figured that much, by now, but he hadn't begun to further contemplate it due to the recent happenings. He went over the events. The twelve hours that they had went through seemed to have left most, if not all, the Espada annoyed, including himself. Things seemed to have only tensed when they gave their report to Aizen, and then the former shinigami started handing promotions to two of the lower-ranked Espada, once called his subordinates. This caused for a bit of congratulations before he was sentenced to death. In his mind, Ulquiorra figured the sequence of events were to make them even more ambitious to kill him, and probably more successful at it; Aizen had nearly succeeded, if not for the young Koumori finding him.

Not like he'd ever say 'thank you,' though...

Drawing his attention away from his thoughts, Ulquiorra spoke again. "You said if not for you, the other Koumori would have left me to die; can you explain this, Onna?" He questioned.

She put up a finger. "First off; stop calling me Onna! If your going to call me by anything, it's either by my name or not at all." She told him, aggravatingly, sending out a glare at him; ineffective, of course, especially considering he completely brushed off the complaint. Akuma let out a short sigh before standing back on her own two feet. "And although I could attempt to explain the answer to that question, I'm not the best person to ask." She told him, bluntly.

"But, you are also the _only_ person I can ask." He pointed out. Ulquiorra figured well enough on his own that the other Koumori wouldn't take too kindly to him questioning them, and seeing as how she was willing, he didn't have much of a choice. If he did, he'd find someone more intelligent.

The red-eyed female put a hand to her chin, tapping her foot against the ground. She truly had no clue how to explain it so he'd understand; her kind's ways were so obscured that only very few of the captains in Soul Society knew of their existence. _"So, how could I get him understand?"_ She pondered. After a few more moments, she snapped her fingers, bringing back the attention of the other two, and giving them a smile. "In truth, Cifer, their is somebody who can answer that one better than I. And I can bring you straight to her." She guaranteed him.

Ulquiorra, true, did want to know the answer in the most logical sense, however, he was no fool. If she was leading him straight to one of her allies, how did he know that they wouldn't try any of their own tricks. Sure, he was obviously stronger, but he wasn't going to be humiliated in such a simpleton way. He'd rather die at Aizen's hand...

Akuma gave him but a smile. "I get it! Ya don't trust me because you figure that you're going to get knocked around by her as soon as we get there. True, she would love to have the pleasure, but, she only attacks if she or I are attacked first." She explained, looking at him directly in the eyes so he could see she wasn't lying. True, he knew that, but it didn't get rid of other criteria that could have just as easily walk him into a trap. "And, if you can dare trust me," she started, re-grabbing his attention. "I'll even show you how I got here." She told him.

Ulquiorra eyed her for a few moments before nodding. He could handle her, easily, so if it were a trap, he was certain that he'd be able to take this other person if there was one. That much he was positive about, and he was one to stay true to his threats. "We're here!" The female told him.

The former Cuatro looked up to notice that she was pointing at a cave that had formed within one of the mountains of his inner world. He looked at her with an arched brow, wondering how the hell it had gotten there. Akuma only shrugged grabbing the black-haired arrancar, and leading him into the the cave, the copper energy surrounding them as they entered the cave.

Ulquiorra stepped in with her, however, his eyes averted to his zanpakuto, who was somehow unable to enter with them. "I knew that was a two way street!" Akuma proclaimed, proud of herself. The former Cuatro glared at her as if to ask what she meant, and to explain, soon. "When I went through a different passage in my inner world, my zanpakuto couldn't follow me; same rules apply to you. This is because as soon as we step into the cave, we exit our inner worlds." She explained, tersely, walking deeper into the mouth of the dark tunnel.

The Cuatro walked forward, as well, understanding the concept. True, he knew fairly well where she was leading him, and that was where she belonged; her inner world. Which meant that this person who she was leading him to was more than likely her zanpakuto. Granted, these facts were true, he had no doubts about taking them both.

There was something that puzzled him, though. As soon as they entered, Ulquiorra had noticed that her reiatsu had spiked an enormous amount, simply by stepping through the entrance to the cave. It didn't alarm him, much, but what did set him off guard was when he felt his own spiritual pressure depleting, making him feel slightly weaker than before. He had already begun to ponder on why such an occurrence happened. That is, until he nearly tripped over his own footing...

"Watch your step!" The female Koumori told him, grinning smugly towards him. The ex-Espada glared. She knew about the stairs and didn't tell him. Who did she think she is, this mere trash, for tricking him? "Okay, one: you're not in Hueco Mundo, you're in Le Paradis Éternel, so don't expect me to treat you as a superior being where here, my kind is. And two: that's part of my payback for the _lovely_ treatment, earlier." She told him, coldly, before continuing down the steps.

His brows furrowed but a fraction as he followed. The fact that she was a pain wasn't something he couldn't tolerate. Now, to the fact she was going to ensure some form of revenge, he now knew by some pit feeling in his stomach that he'd have to watch her, rather well. If not, he didn't know, nor wanted to know, what kind of things she'd try.

They entered a second entrance, stepping into Akuma's crystalized cavern, and once again, Ulquiorra had notice a spike in her reaiatsu, and a depletion in his. _"I see; when one is in another's inner world, their strength is taken so that the person cannot be harmed by outsiders of any sort."_ He thought, sighing. What that also meant is that the girl's real strength is hard to depict because of this difference, and that while he was there, the female was ultimately stronger than he.

"Bonjour! Rayon! Je suis revenu,...et nous avons un invité!" She called out, happily, while searching the ceiling for her zanpakuto.

Ulquiorra found this to a form of interest. He knew fairly well that Barragan was a Spanish ruler, however, to the ways the albino described it, all the demons were from the Japanese Islands, and traveled around the world so that they could claim land. For this reason, he knew, was why all the hallows in Hueco Mundo knew Spanish, fluently, and essentially. Hearing the girl speak French, fluently, he figured that the Koumori had a similar background. This was something to look into.

To the sound of flapping wings, the Cuatro looked up just in time to notice the white bat landing on one of the large crystals near them. _**"Bonjour, Madamoiselle! Pourquoi avez-vous apporté un arracher, ici?"**_ She questioned her mistress, staring at the former Espada, suspiciously. It was primal instinct for them to despise arrancar, but to the fact that Akuma brought one as a guest to her inner world was concerning.

The albino sighed. "His name is Cifer Ulquiorra, his inner world is at the end of the new path, for only les Dieux know why, and he has questions that I can't answer, so I brought him here so you could better explain." She told the other female, honestly, giving her a look that read just how much she needed the help with the male, and practically begged for her to take over.

Although she had her suspicions, Rayon nodded at her mistress, deciding it was best to get it out of the way, and see what she could find out, herself. She knew for fact there was far more than questions if Akuma had actually brought him there. True, the passageway made perfect sense, but she had a strange feeling by her wielder's behavior that told her that there was something else. And she somehow knew it was connected to what had been going on for the past few weeks...

Akuma smiled, flying up and hugging her zanpakuto. "Merci!" She said before soaring down a different passage, in a higher part of the cavern.

With a sigh, Rayon looked down at the arrancar, her large red eyes questioning him on what he had asked that needed answering. Noticing this quickly, Ulquiorra spoke. "Rayon, correct?" He questioned. The female bat nodded. "Your mistress told me that if not for her, the other Koumori would have left me to die. I asked her what she meant by it, but she had said you could answer better than she; the reason I'm standing here." He told her, truthfully.

Rayon frowned at this. _**"I can understand why she said so, for my mistress doesn't fully understand it, so it'd make it hard to explain to another person."**_ She informed him. His eyebrow only arched, as his eyes gave off an expectant gaze. The bat cleared her throat. _**"Throughout that night, Ulquiorra-san, the only reason we found you was because of Mistress. Strange occurrences had taken place that not one of the Koumori could explain, without questioning what they all meant. Strange feelings, weakness, power failure, and visions of you lead her to finding you, and she did so because her instincts told her to; one thing Koumori are raised to follow."**_ She explained, to him.

Now, it was a bit easier to understand, for Akuma had explained many things about the Koumori; history, some of their powers, along with their behavior; instinct being the one thing they all appeared to take, very seriously. If this was the case, then it was more than likely that the other Koumori's instincts had told them to allow him to live, if they wanted the girl to be alright.

Rayon gave him a curious eye. _**"Ulquiorra-san, she claimed to have been able to see your inner world. I know this is none of my business, but s'il-vous-plait, can you describe how my mistress was acting; some of her behavior, or some of her actions?"**_ She asked the pale teen, giving him a bit of a pleading stare. The bat, like Akuma, hated arrancar, but they both knew it was probably best to deal with it as best they could, for they had to rely on him for some answers, as well.

He couldn't help but raise a brow. "Excuse me for asking, but why do you wish for this information?" Cifer questioned, confused. He understood that all of this was probably very odd for the female bat, but he knew for fact that the question was asking for far more, seeing as how she apparently, never acted like this with his kind, before, which struck concern into the white-furred mammal that closely resembled the one waiting for him, back in his inner world.

The winged female sighed, relaxing dome of her muscles before answering the man's question. _**"You already know that Koumori make large decisions based on instinct. Now, my mistress has been making strange decisions because of these instincts, and I ask for a bit of insight in order to learn a bit more of the situation; especially now, considering the fact you two can cross into the each others' inner world."**_ She explained to him. This never happened to Koumori, unless for certain reasons, and those were at few.

Now, it was a bit more understandable. The zanpakuto was a piece of a person, however, from what Ulquiorra could gather, is that while the wielder was in another's inner world, it appeared that the spirit wouldn't have any contact with their master, meaning Rayon was separated from Nadari with every time she came through that first passage, before the stairs. What he also got from the bat's statement is that, because of this separation, it was harder for her to distinguish what was wrong, which meant she was fairly worried.

With these observations made, he answered her. "Very well." He told her. Rayon smiled, patiently awaiting the arrancar to begin. "I first felt her presence while she was healing me. From what I could tell, she was rather calm with what she was doing, until I saw her, grabbing her wrist out of the fact that someone else was where they didn't belong. After taking a few moments to calm down, and after she allowed her annoyance with me known, she had begun acting civil; promising honest answers to my questions as long as I answered hers in the same manner. In truth, the only thing that's abnormal about your mistress's behavior was to the fact that she had attempted to socialize with me; her enemy, according to Koumori history." He explained, fully and honestly.

Rayon's eyes narrowed. This was far beyond strange, when it came to her mistress; it was just plain abnormal! Something that she knew that Akuma more than likely won't be able to explain. The events were so very obscured to the Koumori, she couldn't even begin to describe them, and to explain their meaning was probably going to be just as difficult. Still, with the information, there was something the white bat was certain of; there was something big going on.

The zanpakuto female spread her wings, flapping them to gain some altitude, then gliding to the ceiling, where she perched herself upside down, staring at the arracar, intently. "Ulquiorra-san, tell me, before you left your inner world to come here, did you feel the strength necessary to leave, and become conscious?" She questioned. Said man shook his head. He had stopped the albino before she could heal his spiritual strength. Such a thing was necessary to enter and exit your inner world, along with returning to your body. This strength he hadn't allowed the girl to get near when she had completed healing his physical energy. "I see!" Was all the female said.

Afterwords, the female moved her head towards the nearest corner she was near, biting off a piece of the crystals that had all bunched up, there. The bat then flew her way back to Ulquiorra, landing on the same perch of red stone, and leaning forward, showing him what she had grabbed, and giving him an expectant look.

The former Cuatro held out his hand, receiving the small object from the bat's mouth, eyebrows furrowing a fraction, and his eyes showing the disgust of the saliva that had came out of the mammal's mouth. "Sorry, but I think you can understand I can't grab anything with these." She said, referring to the claws on her wings. Indeed, understandable about grabbing something so she could fly without difficulty, but that did not get rid of what was drooping from the pale man's hand.

The bat pointed a claw at him. "Koumori have some advantages in there inner world; with my mistress, the minerals in her cave help her regain spiritual strength, when she see fit to use them." The arrancar found himself caught off guard, now staring at the gem, intently, and realizing that it indeed had power. "You simply need to return to your inner world! Once done, simply crush it; you'll return to consciousness, and will be able to move your body with no difficulty." She explained to him.

His stoic expression returned, now understanding the meaning of the gem, and getting all the information he desired, for the time being. With this all in mind, he bowed the bat a thank you, then took his leave; not wanting to interact with the female Koumori anytime soon. Honestly, he never thought that he'd meet someone almost as bad as Grimmjow; his language, his violence, and his stupidity outranked hers, on a number of levels, thus making her a good third for the most annoying (Nnoitora beat Grimmjow due to perversion).

Finally, the ex-Espada made it back to his inner world, looking down at the gem Rayon had given him. What he saw that its power was draining, and was averting back to the albino's inner world, more than likely so more can form. Even still, he wasn't gonna waste what he was given, for he had no reason to believe that the zanpakuto female was lying to him.

Quickly, he crushed the rock, red light beginning to swerve around his body until suddenly, everything flashed white...


End file.
